Teresa Dowd
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Your stories key on responsibility and consequences, good and bad... the societal implications of even a few medical areas have had profound affects in your diaspora future cultures, Are there any trends in science or culture you see more recently you would love to go after if you were younger, that may be as profound when they hit the fan? Any trends you think are less important than they seemed 30 years ago?
Lois McMaster Bujold
Hm. In general, I lay no claim to being a futurist, although it's always fun to be right twice a day. I'm not sure what you mean by "you would love to go after if you were younger" -- as a writer? As a student? As a patient? (This week, I want a noninvasive cure for macular pucker, if I get a pick.)
For anyone interested in prognostication, I'd say keep an eye on biology. Where any pop sci books published more than five years ago are now out of date, as are some that were published one year ago. Or last week. The explosion in biology itself, of course, stems heavily from the explosion in computing and communication. Progress is happening all over in a 3D or maybe 4D web, not in a line, which makes any linear extrapolation, the favorite of many (but not me), almost bound to be incorrect.
This seems like a good topic to throw open to the comments section.
Ta, L.
Hm. In general, I lay no claim to being a futurist, although it's always fun to be right twice a day. I'm not sure what you mean by "you would love to go after if you were younger" -- as a writer? As a student? As a patient? (This week, I want a noninvasive cure for macular pucker, if I get a pick.)
For anyone interested in prognostication, I'd say keep an eye on biology. Where any pop sci books published more than five years ago are now out of date, as are some that were published one year ago. Or last week. The explosion in biology itself, of course, stems heavily from the explosion in computing and communication. Progress is happening all over in a 3D or maybe 4D web, not in a line, which makes any linear extrapolation, the favorite of many (but not me), almost bound to be incorrect.
This seems like a good topic to throw open to the comments section.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
A Goodreads user
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Haha! Sorry that was my little brother Jackel. But he meant to say what your very first story did to inspire you to make more?
Mitali
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Does the Duchy of Orbas correspond to a specific real-world place? I have asssumed it to be vaguely based on the various Balkan countries, positioned as it is to the south of Cedonia, which appears to be based on Greece (in your inverted version of Europe). Do you have a more specific inspiration for Orbas? And ditto for the city of Vilnoc?
Gisela Foster
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
How do you select the names of your characters in your books ?
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