Why I Write What I Write
I was just a kid when Star Trek was originally on TV and adored it, even though I was very young. By the time I was in middle school, it had a firm slot in reruns and about that same time, I discovered Andre Norton’s books. Those two seem very different and yet they worked together to create a way of thinking about the question – What if? Both opened up avenues of endless possibilities, unknown worlds to be explored and unknown people to meet. There have been many other writers and a few other TV or movie influences. (I saw Star Wars when it made it’s first run in theaters and came out stunned, like everyone else.) None of those other influences have had quite the impact of the first two, though.
Star Trek let me understand that no matter where we go or what we learn to do, people are still the same. Also, that we will never outgrow the desire to explore and seek out adventures. Or places to find those adventures.
Andre Norton won so many awards over her lifetime, I am often amazed her name is not as well know as Bradbury, Asimov and some of the other really well known, early Science Fiction authors. Her writing is relatively simple, often written for the YA audience, yet compelling. She was among the first in many things – writing strong female characters, simply being a woman writer of Science Fiction, dealing credibly with alien races and mixing psychic phenomenon in with SciFi. She was also the first author I ever encountered who wrote animals, or almost animals, into her stories as characters, both easily and naturally.
Both of these influences left me with the feeling there was more out there still to be discovered. Around the next bend in the road, there would be a new path to take with something wondrous, or amazing, or dreadful to encounter. I felt, and still feel, that whatever we encounter, we will find a way to rise to the challenge.
The universe in which Selarial’s world exists is a reflection of those foundational ideas. Worlds where human wears many shapes and has diverse talents. A universe where anything might be. What will I discover waiting? I don’t know yet, but I can be sure I will enjoy the journey. Hopefully, you will too.
