Doug Farren's Blog, page 25
July 19, 2013
07-19-2013: Launch Pad day 6
Well, tomorrow will be the last full day of Launch Pad. Here is what today's schedule looked like:
0700 – 0930: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1100: (Mike Brotherton) Black holes.1100 – 1215: (Mike Brotherton) The Structure of Galaxies. 1300 – 1400: (Andria Schwortz) Science ethics.1400 – 1600: (Mike Brotherton) Interstellar travel.
1600 – 1700: (Rubin Gamboa) Amateur astronomy.
One of our classmates was unable to make it to class this morning due to altitude sickness. Apparently, two Launch Pads ago they had to take someone to the ER for this. But I guess Mike has an Oxygen concentrator at his house which is what the ER would do if you went there only they will happily charge you a lot of money for the service. The treatment worked and she was back in class shortly after lunch.
I checked on my flight and discovered that for some unknown reason I set it up for 10:00am in the morning! That would mean I would have to leave Laramie at around 6:00am. Since I rented a van the plan was to take a bunch of people back to the airport with me but having to leave at such an ungodly hour put almost everyone off. With Mike's party planned for Saturday night it would mean I would have to bow out of the party early and then get up at 5:00am. I called United and changed my flight - an expensive thing to do these days. I'll just chalk it up as a lesson learned. Now I don't have to leave the dorm until around 0800. Tomorrow we talk logistics and I'll find out who's riding with me.
The entire class (except one) decided to go out for dinner. About half of us went to a place called "Altitude". The steak and beer were both very good. Afterwards, we wandered into "the oldest bar in the State" as one patron called it. I was driving so I just looked around while the others (except one) had a few shots. It looked like a very old bar and there's a picture of it from the early 1900's hanging on the wall.
I am happy to report that I managed to write just over 1,500 words today. I'm working on the final chapter of Peacekeeper. If all goes well, it will be done before I get home. I should have time to work on it in the morning and then again at the airport and on the plane. Cross your fingers.
0700 – 0930: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1100: (Mike Brotherton) Black holes.1100 – 1215: (Mike Brotherton) The Structure of Galaxies. 1300 – 1400: (Andria Schwortz) Science ethics.1400 – 1600: (Mike Brotherton) Interstellar travel.
1600 – 1700: (Rubin Gamboa) Amateur astronomy.
One of our classmates was unable to make it to class this morning due to altitude sickness. Apparently, two Launch Pads ago they had to take someone to the ER for this. But I guess Mike has an Oxygen concentrator at his house which is what the ER would do if you went there only they will happily charge you a lot of money for the service. The treatment worked and she was back in class shortly after lunch.
I checked on my flight and discovered that for some unknown reason I set it up for 10:00am in the morning! That would mean I would have to leave Laramie at around 6:00am. Since I rented a van the plan was to take a bunch of people back to the airport with me but having to leave at such an ungodly hour put almost everyone off. With Mike's party planned for Saturday night it would mean I would have to bow out of the party early and then get up at 5:00am. I called United and changed my flight - an expensive thing to do these days. I'll just chalk it up as a lesson learned. Now I don't have to leave the dorm until around 0800. Tomorrow we talk logistics and I'll find out who's riding with me.
The entire class (except one) decided to go out for dinner. About half of us went to a place called "Altitude". The steak and beer were both very good. Afterwards, we wandered into "the oldest bar in the State" as one patron called it. I was driving so I just looked around while the others (except one) had a few shots. It looked like a very old bar and there's a picture of it from the early 1900's hanging on the wall.
I am happy to report that I managed to write just over 1,500 words today. I'm working on the final chapter of Peacekeeper. If all goes well, it will be done before I get home. I should have time to work on it in the morning and then again at the airport and on the plane. Cross your fingers.
July 18, 2013
07-18-2013: Launch Pad Day 5
I slept late because we didn't get back from the WIRO telescope until quite late last night. Here was the schedule I followed today:
0700 – 0930: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1300: Hike around Turtle rock (Vedauwoo).1430 – 1600: (Mike Brotherton) Death of stars
1600 – 1700: (Daniel Dale) Dust in Space1700 - 1800: Dinner1830 - 2000: (Jamie Rubin) Impromptu EverNote lecture
I spent some time this morning buying my wife a few items from the university gift shop and then working on Peacekeeper. I've added another 600 or so words bringing the total up to just under 104,000 words. The final battle has been fought and all that's left to write are the clean-up chapters to bring everything to a neat conclusion.
The hike around Turtle Rock started off with a minor incident and ended with one as well. When we arrived, there wasn't enough room to park all three of our vehicles in the same parking lot. I drove my van to an upper lot and we walked down. The trail is covered with tiny little pebbles making it slippery and one of the people from my van (I will not embarrass that person with a name) slipped and banged her knee scraping it a bit but otherwise she was okay. She opted to remain at the parking lot while the rest of us started on the trail. The walk was about two hours long and we saw some amazing sites. Here's one with Mike Brotherton on the right and Christian Ready on the left:
We were almost back to the parking lot when another person from the group tripped over a branch and hit the ground - hard. I think his camera came in contact with his nose because he cut it pretty good. Luckily, we were only a few feet from a water faucet and he was able to stop the bleeding and clean the wound. He will have a reminder of the walk for some time to come. We had a boxed lunch at the parking area and then headed back to the classroom.
We then learned about how stars die from Mike and how dust is used to explore the universe by Daniel. Most of us were pretty tired but I believe we got a lot out of the lectures.
The lecture from Jamie was not part of the official Launch Pad courses. Jamie (Link to his going paperless website) is an EverNote ambassador (he doesn't get paid for that role by the way) and uses EverNote as a central part of his going paperless lifestyle. One incredibly wild trick - put a PDF image of a user's manual (such as your thermostat) in EverNote then generate a QR code of the URL to this note. Past the QR code inside the door of the thermostat. Now, if you need to reprogram it and you don't know how you simply scan the QR code with your phone and the manual appears on your mobile device. My brain is still humming with ideas on how to use this unique application.
0700 – 0930: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1300: Hike around Turtle rock (Vedauwoo).1430 – 1600: (Mike Brotherton) Death of stars
1600 – 1700: (Daniel Dale) Dust in Space1700 - 1800: Dinner1830 - 2000: (Jamie Rubin) Impromptu EverNote lecture
I spent some time this morning buying my wife a few items from the university gift shop and then working on Peacekeeper. I've added another 600 or so words bringing the total up to just under 104,000 words. The final battle has been fought and all that's left to write are the clean-up chapters to bring everything to a neat conclusion.
The hike around Turtle Rock started off with a minor incident and ended with one as well. When we arrived, there wasn't enough room to park all three of our vehicles in the same parking lot. I drove my van to an upper lot and we walked down. The trail is covered with tiny little pebbles making it slippery and one of the people from my van (I will not embarrass that person with a name) slipped and banged her knee scraping it a bit but otherwise she was okay. She opted to remain at the parking lot while the rest of us started on the trail. The walk was about two hours long and we saw some amazing sites. Here's one with Mike Brotherton on the right and Christian Ready on the left:
We were almost back to the parking lot when another person from the group tripped over a branch and hit the ground - hard. I think his camera came in contact with his nose because he cut it pretty good. Luckily, we were only a few feet from a water faucet and he was able to stop the bleeding and clean the wound. He will have a reminder of the walk for some time to come. We had a boxed lunch at the parking area and then headed back to the classroom.
We then learned about how stars die from Mike and how dust is used to explore the universe by Daniel. Most of us were pretty tired but I believe we got a lot out of the lectures.
The lecture from Jamie was not part of the official Launch Pad courses. Jamie (Link to his going paperless website) is an EverNote ambassador (he doesn't get paid for that role by the way) and uses EverNote as a central part of his going paperless lifestyle. One incredibly wild trick - put a PDF image of a user's manual (such as your thermostat) in EverNote then generate a QR code of the URL to this note. Past the QR code inside the door of the thermostat. Now, if you need to reprogram it and you don't know how you simply scan the QR code with your phone and the manual appears on your mobile device. My brain is still humming with ideas on how to use this unique application.
07-18-2013: Launchpad day 4
Yesterday was such a full day at Launchpad that I had no time to blog. Here's what our schedule looked like:
0700 – 1000: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie (Writers writing)1000 – 1115: (Christian Ready) Binary star systems.1115 – 1200: Lab – Searching for exo-planets using www.planethunters.org.1200 – 1300: Lunch.1300 – 1430: (Chip Kobulnicky) Image processing lab.1500 – 1700: (Christian Ready) Everything you always wanted to know about Stars.
2000 – 2400: WIRO (WyomingInfraRed Observatory)
I was having no luck at all trying to find planets at the Planet Hunter website. I kept being presented with the same data over and over to classify. This happened on two separate computers! Our best guess was that it was because I was not logged in. Doug Dechow, however, spotted a very strong candidate for an exo-planet and when he reported it discovered he was the first to have seen it!
I am happy to report that I've been getting quite a bit of writing done in the mornings and Peacekeeper is now nearly complete. Hopes are to finish it before I leave here although that is a lofty goal. The novel now stands at over 102,000 words with a chapter or two remaining to be written.
The highlight of our day, of course, was the trip to WIRO. Unlike last year, we got to see them doing some actual science this time. The drive up was better this year as well because of the lack of rain which had washed out the road last year. When we arrived at the top of the mountain (10,000 feet I'm told) we could see a thunderstorm off in the distance. T-storms from a mountaintop are so cool! Everyone had a great time and the entire class departed around 2300 for the long ride back.
0700 – 1000: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie (Writers writing)1000 – 1115: (Christian Ready) Binary star systems.1115 – 1200: Lab – Searching for exo-planets using www.planethunters.org.1200 – 1300: Lunch.1300 – 1430: (Chip Kobulnicky) Image processing lab.1500 – 1700: (Christian Ready) Everything you always wanted to know about Stars.
2000 – 2400: WIRO (WyomingInfraRed Observatory)
I was having no luck at all trying to find planets at the Planet Hunter website. I kept being presented with the same data over and over to classify. This happened on two separate computers! Our best guess was that it was because I was not logged in. Doug Dechow, however, spotted a very strong candidate for an exo-planet and when he reported it discovered he was the first to have seen it!
I am happy to report that I've been getting quite a bit of writing done in the mornings and Peacekeeper is now nearly complete. Hopes are to finish it before I leave here although that is a lofty goal. The novel now stands at over 102,000 words with a chapter or two remaining to be written.
The highlight of our day, of course, was the trip to WIRO. Unlike last year, we got to see them doing some actual science this time. The drive up was better this year as well because of the lack of rain which had washed out the road last year. When we arrived at the top of the mountain (10,000 feet I'm told) we could see a thunderstorm off in the distance. T-storms from a mountaintop are so cool! Everyone had a great time and the entire class departed around 2300 for the long ride back.
July 16, 2013
07-16-2013: Launchpad day 3
Here's how the day went at Launchpad for day 3:
0700 – 1000: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1200: (Andria Schwortz) The electromagnetic spectrum.1200 – 1300: Lunch at Washika.1300 – 1500: (AndriaSchwortz) Spectroscopy lab.1500 – 1620: (Christian Ready) Motion, Energy & Gravity.1620 – 1700: (Mike Brotherton) Science in Science Fiction2030 – ????: Telescope time on top of the physical sciences building.
We actually ran out of time for Mike's lecture on Science in Science Fiction. He will continue it tomorrow. The spectroscopy lab was interesting although many of us had a difficult time getting the spectrometers to work properly.
The highlight of the day was definitely the telescope activities at the top of the physical sciences building. This was an activity we did not experience at last year's Launchpad. The university has a 16" telescope which gave us a fantastic view of Saturn. You could clearly see the rings as well as three of the moons. Here's a pic Jeri Smith-Ready took of me looking through the eyepiece:
0700 – 1000: Breakfast at the Unionwith Chaz and Jamie.1000 – 1200: (Andria Schwortz) The electromagnetic spectrum.1200 – 1300: Lunch at Washika.1300 – 1500: (AndriaSchwortz) Spectroscopy lab.1500 – 1620: (Christian Ready) Motion, Energy & Gravity.1620 – 1700: (Mike Brotherton) Science in Science Fiction2030 – ????: Telescope time on top of the physical sciences building.
We actually ran out of time for Mike's lecture on Science in Science Fiction. He will continue it tomorrow. The spectroscopy lab was interesting although many of us had a difficult time getting the spectrometers to work properly.
The highlight of the day was definitely the telescope activities at the top of the physical sciences building. This was an activity we did not experience at last year's Launchpad. The university has a 16" telescope which gave us a fantastic view of Saturn. You could clearly see the rings as well as three of the moons. Here's a pic Jeri Smith-Ready took of me looking through the eyepiece:
July 15, 2013
07-15-2013: Launchpad 13 Day 2
Today was another fun day at Launchpad. I woke up early and did some writing while having a few cups of tea. I then walked down to the Wyoming Student Union building with Chaz Brenchley and Jamie Rubin. We were early so we each set up our laptops and began writing. With only a short break for breakfast and an occasional conversation we sat and wrote mostly in silence. I managed to finish adding another 953 words to Peacekeeper before having to set it aside to attend class.
Class began at 0930. Here's the schedule of what happened during the day:
0930 – 1040: Introductions.1040 – 1100: Astronomy pre-test.1100 – 1200: (Mike Brotherton) Scale of the Cosmos1200 – 1315: Lunch at the Washaki cafe. I sat with 4 others.1315 – 1330: Tuition payment1330 – 1530: (Andria Schwortz) Phases of the moon and seasons.
1545 – 1700: (Christian Ready) after break – Exploring the Solar System.
After the official classes we all went to see Pacific Rim showing in the theater that's a short walk from the dorm. Personally, I enjoyed the movie despite its technical flaws. Afterwards, we all hung around the lobby discussing where the movie had gone wrong. We then decided to wander down to O'Dwyers bar where the discussions continued. This was a great conclusion to another great day at Launchpad.
Class began at 0930. Here's the schedule of what happened during the day:
0930 – 1040: Introductions.1040 – 1100: Astronomy pre-test.1100 – 1200: (Mike Brotherton) Scale of the Cosmos1200 – 1315: Lunch at the Washaki cafe. I sat with 4 others.1315 – 1330: Tuition payment1330 – 1530: (Andria Schwortz) Phases of the moon and seasons.
1545 – 1700: (Christian Ready) after break – Exploring the Solar System.
After the official classes we all went to see Pacific Rim showing in the theater that's a short walk from the dorm. Personally, I enjoyed the movie despite its technical flaws. Afterwards, we all hung around the lobby discussing where the movie had gone wrong. We then decided to wander down to O'Dwyers bar where the discussions continued. This was a great conclusion to another great day at Launchpad.
July 14, 2013
07-14-2013: Launchpad13
Today I arrived in Laramie for Launchpad 2013. I did manage to find the time to get some good writing done on Peacekeeper on the flight to Denver. As a returning Launchpad attendee, I thought it would be a nice gesture to help out and rent a van to drive some people there. Mike Brotherton, the creator of Launchpad, was appreciative. One of my scheduled riders was late arriving so we departed with a fill-in. The trip to Laramie was uneventful other than the fact that my Tom-Tom decided to take us on a scenic route. We checked in and then went out for dinner in the Cafe. Afterwards, Mike took us to the classroom so we would be able to find our way back there again in the morning. The first class begins at 0930.
This is another interesting group of distinguished writers. This particular group seems to be well attuned to each other and I've been spending the greater part of my time simply listening. When the conversation seems to slow down, all it takes is a simple question (one in which I'm interested in getting an answer) and they're all off talking again. The subject seems to shift at a rapid pace which is often the case with writers. This particular group includes many published authors who have also met and are friends with other well-known authors.
I plan on getting up early in the morning and working on Peacekeeper before class begins. I'll be checking out a couple of possible spots for obtaining a decent breakfast. I was sort of hoping to be able to return to the place I frequented last time I was here but the new classroom location places it too far away. I will most likely be having breakfast in the student union hall which is just across the plaza from the classroom building. The rules have changed a little this year and we will be having lunch and dinner in the cafe instead of in the classroom. Food and drink are not allowed in the classroom.
I will be doing daily blogs while in Laramie.
This is another interesting group of distinguished writers. This particular group seems to be well attuned to each other and I've been spending the greater part of my time simply listening. When the conversation seems to slow down, all it takes is a simple question (one in which I'm interested in getting an answer) and they're all off talking again. The subject seems to shift at a rapid pace which is often the case with writers. This particular group includes many published authors who have also met and are friends with other well-known authors.
I plan on getting up early in the morning and working on Peacekeeper before class begins. I'll be checking out a couple of possible spots for obtaining a decent breakfast. I was sort of hoping to be able to return to the place I frequented last time I was here but the new classroom location places it too far away. I will most likely be having breakfast in the student union hall which is just across the plaza from the classroom building. The rules have changed a little this year and we will be having lunch and dinner in the cafe instead of in the classroom. Food and drink are not allowed in the classroom.
I will be doing daily blogs while in Laramie.
July 6, 2013
07-06-2013: Writing takes a back-seat
I know a few of you will be upset to hear this - work on Peacekeeper has stalled. There's actually several reasons for this. First and foremost is the ongoing fence rebuild. The fence surrounding my property is literally falling apart. Being a good neighbor, I've decided to replace it. This project started over a month ago with a delivery of wood. I've been spending most of my free time staining, cutting, and sanding the new wood. My dad has been here all this week helping me put the new fence up. Rain hasn't helped. Yesterday was taken up by saying goodbye to my daughter (she was visiting from Georgia) and digging a hole to sink a new pole to replace one that has rotted off. Needless to say, the fence project is a priority.
The other reason Peacekeeper has been stalled is that I ran into a problem. I asked some of my astronomy friends (professors) for help and so far they've come up empty. So, while working on the fence, I've been thinking about ways around the problem. I could push ahead and just finish but the story would not pass scrutiny and my science-savvy readers would have spotted anything that just didn't add up. The good news is that I have a very good solution that popped into my head the other day.
I should be able to finish the book in two weeks. I travel to Laramie Wyoming on July 14th for Launchpad-13. While there, I will have plenty of time to write. Since I'm a morning person, I'll be waking up nice and early and then walking to a cafe where I will have breakfast and do some writing. In the evening, after class, I'll be writing. My wife still has to do her proofing and she has promised to not only work on it as much as she can but she's decided to root out every bad spelling, word misuse, and all other mangled words that I tend to overlook. If all goes well, the book should be available in a couple months.
The sun is now coming up, the neighbors are waking up, and it's time to get back to work on the fence.
The other reason Peacekeeper has been stalled is that I ran into a problem. I asked some of my astronomy friends (professors) for help and so far they've come up empty. So, while working on the fence, I've been thinking about ways around the problem. I could push ahead and just finish but the story would not pass scrutiny and my science-savvy readers would have spotted anything that just didn't add up. The good news is that I have a very good solution that popped into my head the other day.
I should be able to finish the book in two weeks. I travel to Laramie Wyoming on July 14th for Launchpad-13. While there, I will have plenty of time to write. Since I'm a morning person, I'll be waking up nice and early and then walking to a cafe where I will have breakfast and do some writing. In the evening, after class, I'll be writing. My wife still has to do her proofing and she has promised to not only work on it as much as she can but she's decided to root out every bad spelling, word misuse, and all other mangled words that I tend to overlook. If all goes well, the book should be available in a couple months.
The sun is now coming up, the neighbors are waking up, and it's time to get back to work on the fence.
June 24, 2013
06-24-13: Writing update
I've managed to balance my fence project with writing. My fence is falling apart (I obviously didn't build it) and needs to be replaced. Several weeks ago I had wood delivered and ever since I've been working on getting the untreated wood prepared for installation as a fence. It's been a long project because I've had to treat all 100 2x4's as well as the 356 8x1 6-ft long pickets by hand--with a brush. The pickets were originally 12-ft long boards which I had to cut in half--all 180 of them. I have completed the 2x4s and I'm about 73% done with the pickets.
In the meantime, I've managed to get some serious editing done on Peacekeeper. As of right now, I am ready to begin editing what Scrivener shows as chapter 39.2. Well, that's what it's called anyway. It's actually more like the end of chapter 42. To bring this into perspective, it's the next to the last chapter of what has already been written and it is the start of a major battle scene that will require extensive modifications based on the changes I've made to earlier sections of the book. The wonderful thing about Scrivener is that I don't have to worry about what the chapters are labeled as it does all the labeling for me. All I have to do is to supply the breaks and keep on writing.
Here is an interesting piece of writing information: I seem to do some of my best scene creation while I'm in the shower. I was a little stuck on the ending. Although I had a good one in mind, it just wasn't exactly right. I wanted it to be better but could not come up with anything that would work. A couple days ago, the answer popped into my head while in the shower. I've been refining it while staining pickets. Now I'm ready to write it. If all goes well the book will be complete in about 2 or 3 weeks and then I will be ready to run through it one more time for a final editing pass before sending it to my wife for her proofing.
In the meantime, I've managed to get some serious editing done on Peacekeeper. As of right now, I am ready to begin editing what Scrivener shows as chapter 39.2. Well, that's what it's called anyway. It's actually more like the end of chapter 42. To bring this into perspective, it's the next to the last chapter of what has already been written and it is the start of a major battle scene that will require extensive modifications based on the changes I've made to earlier sections of the book. The wonderful thing about Scrivener is that I don't have to worry about what the chapters are labeled as it does all the labeling for me. All I have to do is to supply the breaks and keep on writing.
Here is an interesting piece of writing information: I seem to do some of my best scene creation while I'm in the shower. I was a little stuck on the ending. Although I had a good one in mind, it just wasn't exactly right. I wanted it to be better but could not come up with anything that would work. A couple days ago, the answer popped into my head while in the shower. I've been refining it while staining pickets. Now I'm ready to write it. If all goes well the book will be complete in about 2 or 3 weeks and then I will be ready to run through it one more time for a final editing pass before sending it to my wife for her proofing.
June 16, 2013
06-16-2013: Peacekeeper update
I've actually had quite a bit of time to work on Peacekeeper this last week. I've made it to what is labeled as chapter 30 but is most likely actually chapter 32. The difference is because I've added so much new stuff during this editing pass (as well as making some major changes elsewhere) that I've had to split chapters. If I had been using Word, doing this would have been difficult. But with Scrivener, it's a snap. I've also moved a couple of chapters around - again, easy with Scrivener. My editing efforts puts me at about 80% complete. But, I still need to write the ending.
I am working on a MAJOR project at the house which will occupy my time anytime it's not raining outside. I have 250 linear feet of aging fence that must be rebuilt picket by picket. My wife and I are not a fan of treated wood because of the chemicals used and you still have to weatherproof the wood. So I bought 100 ten-foot long 2x4s and 180 twelve-foot long 1x8 #2 pine boards. I've already weatherproofed and stained the 2x4s and yesterday I cut up the 1x8s to make pickets. Now I have 360 pickets to stain and weatherproof - all before the week of July 4th. The weather, however, is not cooperating with rain scheduled for most of those days. It rained last night but today looks like it will be clear. However, I am so sore from cutting wood yesterday that I think it would be a wise idea for me to take a break.
I am hoping to have my first edit pass complete and the final few chapters written by the time I head for Launchpad on July 14th. During that week, if all goes well, I will complete the final draft and ready it for my wife's review. She is my proofreader. She is not a science fiction fan so it usually takes her a couple weeks to proof the book. Once that's done, I put in her changes and then generate the final output for upload.
If you are interested in more timely updates than is available in this blog you can follow me on Twitter. My username is: author_farren.
Time to get editing!
I am working on a MAJOR project at the house which will occupy my time anytime it's not raining outside. I have 250 linear feet of aging fence that must be rebuilt picket by picket. My wife and I are not a fan of treated wood because of the chemicals used and you still have to weatherproof the wood. So I bought 100 ten-foot long 2x4s and 180 twelve-foot long 1x8 #2 pine boards. I've already weatherproofed and stained the 2x4s and yesterday I cut up the 1x8s to make pickets. Now I have 360 pickets to stain and weatherproof - all before the week of July 4th. The weather, however, is not cooperating with rain scheduled for most of those days. It rained last night but today looks like it will be clear. However, I am so sore from cutting wood yesterday that I think it would be a wise idea for me to take a break.
I am hoping to have my first edit pass complete and the final few chapters written by the time I head for Launchpad on July 14th. During that week, if all goes well, I will complete the final draft and ready it for my wife's review. She is my proofreader. She is not a science fiction fan so it usually takes her a couple weeks to proof the book. Once that's done, I put in her changes and then generate the final output for upload.
If you are interested in more timely updates than is available in this blog you can follow me on Twitter. My username is: author_farren.
Time to get editing!
June 1, 2013
06-01-2013: Thoughts of a tri-sexual species
To my knowledge, no organism on Earth is tri-sexual--meaning it takes three to reproduce. It's easy to see why this is a bad idea but can there be such a life-form? While creating descriptions of alien life for the Galactic Alliance I've often wondered about this. So much so, that one of the cultures I've created is indeed a tri-sexual species. Here's my idea of how it would work and why.
Shiltans are an intelligent species vaguely resembling spiders. They have six legs, two of which double as arms. They are also a tri-sexual species. Like most other species in the Alliance, they are divided into males and females. There is a third partner that most other species refer to as the mother. A newly paired couple must create their own mother. When the female becomes pregnant the growing child is always a mother. Mothers are smaller than the parents and rapidly develop into an adult mother. They are less intelligent and are built specifically for rearing children. Their entire mentality is focused on the care of newborns.
When the Shiltan female becomes pregnant again, she will carry the infant for 3 months. After that time, she must transfer the unborn infant to the mother or another mother will be born 3 months later. After the infant is transferred to the mother, it will continue to develop and grow into a full male or female. This arrangement is an evolutionary trick to increase the Shiltan's survival rate. Mothers can remain sheltered, caring for the young until they are old enough to escape from predators on their own. The male and female can continue to hunt and provide food and protection for the mother and their family. A couple can have more than one mother.
As brutal as it may seem, the life of a mother is not protected under Shiltan law. If a couple no longer desires to have children the mother is killed after she is no longer needed to care for any children. They are also killed if either of the mating pair of Shiltan's passes away or the couple separates (a rarity in Shiltan society).
Thoughts anyone?
The editing of Peacekeeper is going quite well. I've added a lot of new material and changed quite a bit of what was already written. All for the better of the book. I am about 30% through the manuscript and the book now stands at 92,491 words. If you recall, I have not written the last couple of chapters. So, it's beginning to look like this is going to be a 100K book. So, instead of writing here, I'm going back to editing.
Until next time.
Shiltans are an intelligent species vaguely resembling spiders. They have six legs, two of which double as arms. They are also a tri-sexual species. Like most other species in the Alliance, they are divided into males and females. There is a third partner that most other species refer to as the mother. A newly paired couple must create their own mother. When the female becomes pregnant the growing child is always a mother. Mothers are smaller than the parents and rapidly develop into an adult mother. They are less intelligent and are built specifically for rearing children. Their entire mentality is focused on the care of newborns.
When the Shiltan female becomes pregnant again, she will carry the infant for 3 months. After that time, she must transfer the unborn infant to the mother or another mother will be born 3 months later. After the infant is transferred to the mother, it will continue to develop and grow into a full male or female. This arrangement is an evolutionary trick to increase the Shiltan's survival rate. Mothers can remain sheltered, caring for the young until they are old enough to escape from predators on their own. The male and female can continue to hunt and provide food and protection for the mother and their family. A couple can have more than one mother.
As brutal as it may seem, the life of a mother is not protected under Shiltan law. If a couple no longer desires to have children the mother is killed after she is no longer needed to care for any children. They are also killed if either of the mating pair of Shiltan's passes away or the couple separates (a rarity in Shiltan society).
Thoughts anyone?
The editing of Peacekeeper is going quite well. I've added a lot of new material and changed quite a bit of what was already written. All for the better of the book. I am about 30% through the manuscript and the book now stands at 92,491 words. If you recall, I have not written the last couple of chapters. So, it's beginning to look like this is going to be a 100K book. So, instead of writing here, I'm going back to editing.
Until next time.
