You Know You Write Sci-Fi If... http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407 Safira ...your characters are always trying to figure out how to clobber the enemy and achieve their objective without punching holes in a hull and getting sucked out into space. ...speaking at least three languages that didn't originate on your home planet is a social necessity. (I always love reading this thread in all the genre forums, but I didn't see one in Sci-Fi yet. Feel free to flog me if I just missed an existing thread!) Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:19:50 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218513 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218513 JustinJans You have to plan for the eventuality that someone my a rip a hole is space and time, causing the collapse of civilization as we know it and/or allowing inter-dimensional beings to escape and take over your planet. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:25:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218587 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218587 Tooterfish ... inanimate objects inspire you to write a new character. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:35:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218751 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_218751 n0tvq ...your vocabulary words begin with "tri" or "di" and end with "lithic" or "ode"... ...race is more than a social issue... ...your character uses a towel, screwdriver, or other household object in an extraordinary way to get out of sticky situations... Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:17:27 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_219375 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_219375 WerewolfPoet ...you develop a new alien race after 20 minutes of messing around with a video game (BP if said game is the Sims or something very similar). ...your characters consider riding hoover-boards to be "old fashioned". Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:40:51 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_220743 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_220743 mbrsart ...you create an alien language just so that you can insult people to their faces. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:47:28 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_221803 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_221803 somuchforendings ...you spend a lot of time trying to figure out how something very impossible might feasibly work. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:23:20 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222301 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222301 Frozen Sky ...when your car breaks down, you assume it's the power couplers. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:39:05 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222514 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222514 MasterThief ^^This.^^ Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:39:38 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222528 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222528 JustinJans It's always those damn power couplings! Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:00:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222820 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222820 MandyBroughton On the family calendar next to grocery list is written the formula for when light (c) will orbit a black hole. Because of course, it might come in handy. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:10:01 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222948 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_222948 Gryphon-kl Getting characters from point A to point B requires violating at least one law of physics. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:01:20 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_225609 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_225609 reckless.tenacity I am pretty much doing this no matter which genre I'm writing in. Stephen King may be satisfied with the idea that weird things happen just because they can, but I am one of those people who take a perverse joy in the moment where you realize that this nonsense makes complete sense. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:17:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_225726 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_225726 NutmegAngel You use a dating system that's either 'post apocalypse' or 'post migration' You stare at the stars in the evening and try to work out which one it is that your aliens live nearby Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:23:14 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_226507 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_226507 froley Your page is covered in red squiggles because Word doesn't recognise the Hagneratherons of Echypilxok 8. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:21:17 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227154 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227154 EricASatchwill Incidentally, if I ever get picked up by an alien, I'll be sure to ask if they carry a towel or a screwdriver, just so I know what sort of adventure I'm getting myself into ;) Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:59:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227749 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227749 EricASatchwill -You're trying to decipher a paper about the star system 55 Cancri so you know what sort of planet your characters plan on colonizing, and therefore what sort of environment they're gearing their eugenics program towards. -Travelling at sub-light speeds is a deliberate choice rather than a fact of life -Factoring in gravity or lack thereof is a serious consideration Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:09:25 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227826 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227826 EricASatchwill Corollary the dating system: you're debating whether to base it on Earth standard, or base it on the orbit and rotation of the planet of destination while in transit Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:12:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227852 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_227852 Lord Darkstorm if it can be broken, it isn't a law, probably a different law we do not yet currently understand. :) Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:47:46 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_228157 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_228157 kertwang - your characters name themselves, but you spend five hours trying to find the perfect name for a planet - or a spaceship Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:01:42 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_228286 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_228286 karatekat95 ...your character spends more time talking to computers than people ...your character pulls out a ridiculously pimped out weapon that shocks everyon around them. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:45:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_229416 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_229416 Bill Moonroe ...you've ever asked the clerks at the grocery store where they keep their inorganic produce. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:48:01 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_229447 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_229447 ArtSmith Your primary sources of story premises are Scientific American, Science News, Nature, .... You know right where your old college physics textbook is because you refer to it frequently. You know a Dyson Sphere isn't the thing the vacuum cleaner rolls around on. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:45:39 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_230257 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_230257 MavinMaverick ...Your god looks (and quite possibly sounds) a lot like Carl Sagan. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:58:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_230443 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_230443 T.A. Olivia Kurzweil thinks your plot synopsis is a legitimate plan for the future of humanity. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:37:32 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_231959 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_231959 Toasty Toast ...you have to edit your work every so often to change how you refer to Pluto ...your most descriptive passages are waxing philosophical while staring at a planet from orbit Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:42:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_232049 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_232049 T.A. Olivia You run through the house yelling "YES! YES! YES!" every time the CERN Lab discovers something new, like, breaking the speed of light and then you spend the next six days trying to figure out how that changes your perception of time travel and if you need to change the time parameters in your WIP. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:33:17 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_232928 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_232928 EricASatchwill The extent to which that is brilliant knows no bounds XD Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:20:30 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_237749 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_237749 Tooterfish Alternatively, you got tired of the red squiggles everywhere, so now your word processor thinks Hagneratherons and Echypilxok are real words. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:58:06 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_242081 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_242081 misschichii Stars are no longer dots but line Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:07:29 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_242208 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_242208 Amaya If the biology of an alien race is serious business and no I can't just make them humanoid. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:20:58 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_244115 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_244115 Audra Dancer Same here. I love the process of making crazy things really work in their context. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:10:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_244377 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_244377 Kataja You take a course in planetary geophysics to be able to count the calendar of your alien planet correctly. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:47:31 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246229 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246229 whitedwaarf ...that cyborg accent you've been writing, comes out at the dinner table. PASS THE POTATOES PLEASE. Half scaring your spouse to death. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:03:24 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246404 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246404 WileJ ... explaining your novel to someone else requires a crib sheet of both terms and names, and maybe some charts/maps ... you willfully ignore the butterfly effect or find a really complicated work around when dealing with time travel Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:49:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246988 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_246988 kittygirl27 I don't think of them as laws... merely friendly suggestions. =D Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:34:22 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_248258 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_248258 tyburn_cross ...You can figure out the internal workings of a matter-antimatter annihilation reactor, yet don't now how to use yor spelcheker. ...You have to introduce yourself in your 'human' name. ...You go to the kitchen and are disappointed that the food replicator seems to have been replaced with a large cold box type thing and a coffee machine. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:33:24 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_250914 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_250914 Safira WORD. People look at you funny when you start weighing the merits of different forms of reproduction, but, ya know, the basic social underpinnings of an asexual civilization are completely different than one that requires three genders for procreation. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:15:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_251547 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_251547 Audra Dancer You're comfortable with things that sound logical and fit in their concept even if you're not sure if they're facts or not. However, if it's possible you might yourself doing research for the thing, even if it took hours and there wasn't any information about the thing online. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:24:18 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_251688 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_251688 Jedi-Master-Spock I would just like to note that your profile picture entertains me to no end. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:27:44 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_253618 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_253618 comradecharlie05 ... Your AI not only has "human" rights, but is an Admiral of the navy and has been planning a rebellion for several decades. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:01:41 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_254067 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_254067 Jaydee Faire What do they do if they reply "both"? Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:14:09 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_254242 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_254242 EricASatchwill I'll probably die of joy at the prospect of hitchhiking across the galaxy with the Doctor ^^ Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:06:49 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_256406 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_256406 Sapphiregirl ...You spend hours creating a spreadsheet denoting what time it is in various time zones on three different worlds because your characters bounce around a lot and you don't want your head to explode trying to keep it all straight. (In the process of creating said spreadsheet, your head explodes.) Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:23:29 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_256607 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_256607 EricASatchwill -it has suddenly become vitally important to figure out whether to use gender specific pronouns for your AI, or if you'll call it 'it'. (The fact that your main character is trans actually makes this decision more complicated) Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:47:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_256924 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_256924 CyanGiraffe ....you disregard basic sexual reproduction rules just so your two characters from different planets can have a kid together and not have it be sterile or misshapen. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:43:39 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_257688 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_257688 Kataja ...you are glad to be writing in a languge that does not have gender-specific pronouns, although your head still explodes thinking when you should have pronouns for human and when the ones for things. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:46:55 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_260666 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_260666 tyburn_cross ...and it doesn't even have a body. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:11:24 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_261236 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_261236 Elfwreck ... you spend hours researching phonology so you can make names suitable for insectoid mouths. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:49:19 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_262223 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_262223 MandyBroughton "...you've ever asked the clerks at the grocery store where they keep their inorganic produce." You know you write sci-fi if you read that statement and laugh because you think it's a joke about roughage for robots. And then later in the day you get the real joke. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:30:36 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_264570 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_264570 dssmith ... when you show someone your amphibious bipedal alien and someone comments that amphibians don't have hair, you explain how it's not really hair but a collection of coated nerve bundles that act as sensors, picking up vibrations and other atmospheric details. It just looks exactly like hair. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:37:44 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_264663 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_264663 JasminePipher love it! that's exactly what I'm going to be attempting! Sat, 29 Oct 2011 07:09:11 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_268059 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_268059 tylerbassist3992 living forever becomes a medical issue, not a philosophical one. Your biggest concern is figuring out which method of time travel to use. You don't even consider if it's possible or not. You forget to include scientific explanations not because you don't know, but because you assume your readers already know. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:49:13 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_271470 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_271470 Skid ...You've spent more time researching this biology than creating the actual plot. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:37:28 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_272916 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_272916 Tooterfish ^_^ Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:20:49 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_274417 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_274417 starfishandcoffee You actually know how an alternate universe works. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:22:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_274444 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_274444 suburbancat Considering the fact that people are constantly breaking the "laws" of physics as we speak............. faster than light neutrinos, anyone? Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:45:15 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_274741 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_274741 suburbancat ... you point out the scientific errors in other people's works ... you spent more time searching for the perfect name for you alien tech than you did writing your synopsis ... your MC spends their entire life in outer space and you think nothing of it ... your MC grew up on a planet and everyone thinks s/he is weird ... humanoids are the minority on your list of characters Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:03:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_275006 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_275006 Abiru ...you tried writing Literary Fiction, referenced parallel dimensions and space-time travel, and then your teacher had you redo the assignment. (Story of my life) ...you question the mechanics of various objects, dissecting them to see how they tick. (Warning: Don't do this with anything living) ...you keep wishing IT was already invented, or a time machine so you can transfer to an IT unit and arrive at your desired destination with less hassle. Like the subway. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:15:11 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_276548 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_276548 Audra Dancer ... you spend hours researching chemicals just to figure out which ones could affect on your alien race in the same way alcohol does on humans. Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:25:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_277883 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_277883 JasminePipher ....you have just as many pages of notes on the science of black holes, wave-particle duality, and time loops than on your plot and characters! Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:31:43 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280236 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280236 Itzika My old history teacher suggested something very liberating: Maybe sentient life is predisposed to take a humanoid shape. Why not? We have no evidence otherwise. Since then, in my universe, I've declared that 98% of sentient carbon-based life-forms in the galaxy are humanoid, with subtle variations (one species only has red hair--I don't even have to Photoshop to find pictures!). It frees up so much time for actual writing. /lolcheater Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:42:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280367 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280367 Itzika I still ask every time we have a story assignment, "Does it have to be realistic fiction?" And I'm still disappointed when the answer comes back "Yes." (Last time I got around it by writing about a character losing her mind. The scenes in her head counted as non-realistic for me.) Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:47:27 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280443 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_280443 Itzika ...you forget that genetic engineering hasn't actually reached the stage of being able to create super-soldiers. ...you have ever tried to scientifically explain psychic powers. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:50:46 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_280488 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_280488 ChristopherGodsoe ........any discussion of your novel's plot requires that you preface it with a three minute "Technology Primer" ........you have a Post-It note attached to your monitor when outlining that states, "Is this technology essential to the plot, or are you just including it because it's frigging cool?" Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:58:53 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_281431 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_281431 Jocey - your character doesn't know what an apple is but has heard rumors of such things. - every single problem, no matter how small, can lead to the destruction of the universe. Go figure. ( -_- ;) Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:48:14 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_283157 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_283157 Tangent25 "...you forget that genetic engineering hasn't actually reached the stage of being able to create super-soldiers." THIS also -you spent six hours researching neural development in fetuses in order to ensure that every aspect of your mind reader's powers are neurologically plausible. Except, you know, the mindreading part. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:09:27 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_303610 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_303610 Cerebrium -Your character has never seen natural light except from space. -You know the exact speed needed for geostationary orbit. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:27:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_303995 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_303995 Cerebrium Now I want an "AI have rights too!" shirt. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:28:59 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_304020 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_304020 Phelyan ...your notes on the design of one spaceship are as long as your notes on the entire political and social state of society. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:40:50 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_304269 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_304269 DogMug ... one of your main characters is from "a backwater planet". ... if TWO of your main characters end the story with the narrator announcing "And he was Adam, and she was Eve". ... you describe all psychological and neurological processes as being "hardwired". ... a star "goes nova". ... you describe a celestial object as "rogue". ... Nanotechnology, Libertarianism, Female Supremacy, Memes, Skepticism, Weapon Ownership Philosophy, Polyamory, Chocolate, telepathic Cats, Any Being originating with H. P. Lovecraft and/or his literary circle, or Bondage are prominent parts of your story. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:06:32 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306206 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306206 Oranbega ...gar lise suvarir ibic. ...you're intimately familiar with M-Theory but have never taken a physics class. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:25:44 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306662 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306662 tealeaf82 -Your character has brain surgery, though not necessarily to get something removed. -You are incorporating visiting cards into your novel's society because nobody remembers how to talk face-to-face anymore Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:36:05 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306875 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_306875 DogMug Your monetary system is based on "Credits". Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:43:36 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_312774 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_312774 DogMug Living organisms from Archaeoids ("germs") to Humanoids are described as being "Carbon-based". Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:16:59 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_314545 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_314545 AdonisNimbus Just fyi, if your aliens are carbon based and metabolic, alcohol will affect them the way alcohol does in humans; maybe to a different degree, but it will still have the same poisonous qualities which we, for some strange reason, love... Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:06:20 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_316853 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_316853 Tanja When you had tons of fun inventing a snail that explodes when it gets eaten by a fire-spiting predator. And then have scientists incorporate that gene into bacteria. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:45:06 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_318561 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_318561 The_Sci-Fiend Your plot needs a minimum of ten other dimensions to make sense. Your AI protagonist is not only self-aware but (you worry at 2am) seems to display a dawning awareness of YOU. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:45:42 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_318575 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_318575 Owlor ...the computer is the most compelling character in your story ... You have a scene which if you cut out the exposition would read "The characters needed to do stuff, so they did" ... your main goal in life is somehow getting on Star Trek, the original series, even if you have to invent a tme machine and vioalte casuality to do it. ...When you get stuck, you open a book on scietniic terminology at random. ...the two largest books in your colelction are the bible and a book about the physics surrounding gravity. Also, some for my particular genre: You know you are writing steampunk when: ...You put a top-hat on a female, and it is not ou of place. ...you can take apart a pocketwatch and put it back together, but you got no idea how victorian underwear actually looks like. ...A character is laughing maniacally at the sght of hisor her latest diabolical invention... ,.. and it is the MAIN character Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:39:02 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_324240 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_324240 rinkatur I love that "Ah-ha" moment when it all comes together. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:46:29 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_324421 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_324421 Alex Washoe Every once in a while you have one of those days where ... everybody lives! Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:15:38 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_325212 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_325212 MalcolmX You seriously consider to simulate your antimatter engine, so how much shielding from the gamma rays you need, so that your Crew will survive. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:17:16 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_328427 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_328427 suburbancat ... your MC visits a planet and gets a sunburn and/or keeps waking up at dawn because s/he isn't used to this thing called sunlight ... there are no cooks/chefs on your ships because synthesizers take up less space than food storage ... your ship's crew swaps synthesizer or holodeck privileges with each other more often than they do money or its equivalent ... your MC doesn't know what money is or how it works Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:59:53 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_330994 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_330994 Marauder Cracker You spend most of your time of writing saying to yourself "no, I can't do it, it is imposs... wait, I can" Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:26:19 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_331655 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_331655 Penelope Shedrech And a magic number that answers ALL of the questions that you could ever imagine...42! Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:58:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_332489 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_332489 Penelope Shedrech You can't do what you want on Earth, so you create a world with it's own laws of perverse physics, it's own races and genders, and it's own set of disfunctionality... and after you've written it, you sit back and wish you had a towel and a panic button to get you there. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:02:12 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332595 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332595 Penelope Shedrech Synthesizers... that's old school...now, it's generators! Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:03:06 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332615 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332615 Penelope Shedrech ...you forget that genetic engineering hasn't actually reached the stage of being able to create super-soldiers. Ah, but it has..... maniacal laughter ensues! Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:09:15 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332757 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_332757 gleek4evr I'm glad I wasn't the only person who thought that xD Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:31:24 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_336462 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_336462 brionyjae Also guilty ;) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:54:42 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_344710 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_344710 Owlor ... Your worlds mostc ommon skin-color are, in descending order: "white" (fair-skinned human), white (as in "...as a sheet"), green, blue, pink, purple, tan, black (as in "... as ink"), "black" (dark-skinned human) ...Your main problem is that in order to gert your characters to where they need to be, you need a way of travel faser than light.... ...and the only part that is a "problem" about it is that youalready have five different ways to do it and can't pick and choose. ... You have no idea what "multi-modal reflecion sorting" is, but your hcaracter uses it anyway. ...you are a huge supporter of science yet your story is still about a scientific experiment that runs amok (seriously, why do we as sci fi fans keep doing this?) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:44:50 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_346296 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_346296 legomaestro You feel shivers when writing about a scientific character. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:54:29 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_346422 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_346422 Riverfox237 ...You spend a whole evening making notes on how to turn a currently existing type of untouchable matter (i.e. light) into a physical matter and then creating the world in which this would be plausible. ...You create superheroes based entirely on technology or scientific experiementation, and then spend exacting amounts of time working out how to make them sound as scientifically realistic as possible. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:57:50 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_353359 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_353359 WitchyRainGirl ...if you do make them humanoid, you spend hours figuring out exactly how they'll differ from us Earthlings. ...you have a notebook full information about each species genetics, including fake karyotypes so you can get a good idea of what their chromosomes look like. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:07:10 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353559 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353559 WitchyRainGirl [quote=suburbancat] ... you point out the scientific errors in other people's works [/quote] Eep! I my sister and I were the only one's who did that. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:09:50 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353629 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353629 WitchyRainGirl correction: I *thought* we were the only ones. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:10:33 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353642 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_353642 Eleni21 You're trying very hard to leave out the phrase, "These are not the droids you're looking for." Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:37:39 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_361939 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_361939 orchdork "You know a Dyson Sphere isn't the thing the vacuum cleaner rolls around on." ^^That just made my day! Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:35:53 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_366220 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_366220 Ephraim Ben Raphael You own a gas mask, just because you might need it someday. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:45:15 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_368615 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_368615 laterose13 Gorgeous DW reference there Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:25:22 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_446356 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_446356 Corvina thanks a lot spoiler alert...did my husband let you read my book??? Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:46:12 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_471326 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_471326 Corvina this is creepy, i feel like you people know me so well. Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:48:24 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_471380 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_471380 Corvina am i really that transparent : ( Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:48:49 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_471394 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_471394 LeeMost ...your human characters can only talk to your other characters through headsets. ...you spend days trying to figure out what spam and malware would look like to your AI characters. ...your MC is 7 years old when her first creation wants to move to a bigger computer. ...one of your characters pretends to be in Belarus to avoid mentioning that he can't come into the TV studio to be interviewed because he has no physical body. ...you search online for hours to find out how many dendrites must be stimulated to get a neuron to fire and when you can't find anything, you make up a number based on what you did learn. ...you have a character who is completely ignorant of science just so your MC can explain all the scientific stuff to him in ways a layman (and the reader) can understand. ...you wonder if you're writing science fiction or fictional science. ...you have to WALP (write a little program) to determine after how many generations your people can no longer have unique, pronounceable names with only 3 or 4 or 5 letters, based on the rules their species propagates by. (Good grief! I'm glad I've only been doing this for 4 days! It would take me another month to write a list like this at the end of this month!) Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:54:09 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_486330 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_486330 Jacqueline Rochow ... you measure anything in lightyears. ... time delay on radio communications is a serious issue that you need to constantly calculate. ... your main characters have at least three different types of atmospheric requirements, and handling this in-story isn't even an issue. ... you've spent more time messing about with crude evolutionary models to verify your main characters' behaviour and biology than writing about them. ... you've invested a lot of time in two paragraphs that describe humans from the point of view of aliens. (I'm proud of "tentacled hands".) Sun, 06 Nov 2011 02:53:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_491635 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_491635 PersephoneWatching ...You spend ages trying to thing of a word for money which isn't credits (No you can't have it:-P ) ...You decided four years ago that physics was the bit of science you couldn't do, and still want to read Hawkins' Brief history of time ...You mash the keyboard to make new names ...That doodle you did last night with the big eyes and no legs must fit into the story somewhere ...You come close to making up new words just to describe how strange aliens sound when they talk ...You read a book on the solar system and skipped the bits that weren't sciency enough I'm going to stop now before I take up the whole page :-P Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:12:02 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_492029 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_492029 PersephoneWatching ...and you kill off all but a couple of members of humanity for the fun of it (And to keep my characters from going back to earth and living happy lives) Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:18:52 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_492161 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_492161 Owlor ...The only part of the bible you know by heart are the Adam and Eve story ...Not by reading it, mind, but seeing allusions to it in sci fi short stories. ...your pre-writing rituals consist of listening to an episode of Escape Pod or watching an ep of Carl Sgans Cosmos ...or, both ...at the same time. ...your litterary history projet was an essay on Jules Verne ,,, You desperately want to include a mechanical elephant in your story somehow. ... At night when the sky is clear and nobody is watching, you sometimes go outside with a towel and reach for the sky and old up your thumb. Y'know, just in case... Sun, 06 Nov 2011 07:50:22 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_498921 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_498921 Munkycheez4k ... A Radioactive Dinosaur performs Electrolysis on an oil spill. ... When 150 foot tall Dinosaurs can shoot electricity and metabolize Hydrocarbons. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:28:34 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_503530 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_503530 suburbancat "...you search online for hours to find out how many dendrites must be stimulated to get a neuron to fire and when you can't find anything, you make up a number based on what you did learn." Or you search for hours to find out how [fill in the blank] works/could work, can't the info you need, and make up something that sounds plausible based on the little info you did find Guilty! Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:42:45 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_507369 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_507369 raedarz So disappointed that their GPS measurements were off. New physics would have been exciting! And for the topic...you are forced to consider relativistic motion just to get your character to work and back. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:43:06 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_507381 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_507381 suburbancat .... you spend hours trying to figure out how energy-based weaponry could work and even more hours figuring what to name it (other than 'blaster' or 'phaser'), and it only appears in your novel for a grand total of two lines Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:45:46 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_507474 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_507474 swenson ...you get stuck and can't keep going for at least an hour because you can't find a good name for your spaceship. Or your spaceship's captain. Or your spaceship's first mate. ...you spend a good couple of days working out precisely how a centrifugal space station or spaceship would work to produce pseudo-gravity... even though you already have artificial gravity generators... ...you write something really awesome and immediately realize you accidentally ripped it off from some other science fiction fandom. ...your protagonist's job is an ordinary Earth job, just with "SPACE" stuck on the front. Case in point, Dr. Jane Halloway, SPACE ARCHAEOLOGIST! ...your novel hasn't really started until the first explosion. (mine isn't there yet. :( ) Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:54:20 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_509446 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_509446 Glaise You google "plausible faster than light travel" so you can decide the best way to get places You go to your 10 yr old to name a new alien species, describing the new species using Star Wars and Ben 10 references (He's actually really good at names, although he is now taking my aliens and putting them in his story too) You figure out that you can give aliens super powers by saying "its the way they evolved on their planet" :) Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:24:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_510269 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_510269 LeeMost When your car gets stuck in a roadside ditch and you wish you could reassemble the car radio into an anti-gravity device like your character did. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:42:16 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_510815 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_510815 LeeMost You have to keep reminding yourself that the Information Technology department takes care of computers when they send you a message using only the department initials. EVERY TIME!!! Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:44:41 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_510881 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_510881 LeeMost You spend hours trying to figure out which pronouns to use when your MC is female now and you want to refer to (him? her?) when (he? she?) was a boy 10 years ago. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:54:03 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_511164 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_511164 Glaise [quote=swenson] ...you get stuck and can't keep going for at least an hour because you can't find a good name for your spaceship. Or your spaceship's captain. Or your spaceship's first mate. [/quote] Guilty, see note about 10 yr old Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:10:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_519948 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_519948 Glaise [quote=Ephraim Ben Raphael] You own a gas mask, just because you might need it someday. [/quote] Are you my Mummy? :) Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:12:41 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_519977 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_519977 Mercenary_Pen -Your warships don't bother with the sea anymore, even when the story doesn't go into space. -You need to find out the minimum survivable percentage of free Oxygen in a fairly standard Nitrox atmosphere. -You keep wondering whether it really is Sci-Fi despite being set on another planet because of all the technology you haven't included. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 06:10:04 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_526270 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_526270 brian_gott Your character descriptions include details like "species" and "planet of origin." Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:12:32 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_527958 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_527958 Yoda47 [quote=somuchforendings] ...you spend a lot of time trying to figure out how something very impossible might feasibly work. [/quote] "Like" Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:12:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534531 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534531 Yoda47 [quote=froley] Your page is covered in red squiggles because Word doesn't recognise the Hagneratherons of Echypilxok 8. [/quote] I know this feeling. Spellcheck doesn't recognize half the words in my book... Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:14:31 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534584 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534584 Yoda47 [quote=karatekat95] ...your character spends more time talking to computers than people [/quote] Well, yeah, the computer AI is one of the main characters! Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:15:56 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534621 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_534621 Yoda47 [quote=Itzika] ...you forget that genetic engineering hasn't actually reached the stage of being able to create super-soldiers. ...you have ever tried to scientifically explain psychic powers. [/quote] Um, sure it has.... and that's easy, quantom resonation.. just ask the above super soildiers... Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:31:33 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_535046 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=3#forum_thread_comment_535046 OtterNonsense I eventually turned spell check off because it was bothering me too much, haha. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:07:03 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_537711 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_537711 GoggleChild -You try to explain Quantum Mechanics to your friends on the bus. -You've modeled a timeline of every decision you've ever made, how you would change them with time travel, and built branching lines for those alternate universes. -Words like "multiverse" and "psychokinesis" become part of your everyday vocabulary. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:28:16 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_538284 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_538284 OtterNonsense Your plot is derived from the few random facts you remember from eighth grade earth science class. One of your alien species is largely based off a breed of extraterrestrial mentioned in one chapter of one of K.A. Applegate's Remnants series. (Remember, when Tate finds those worms on some obscure planet in the far reaches of the galaxy, and they're the only species she's found in forty years of wandering space? I can't believe I remember that.) Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:35:14 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_538469 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_538469 saunved I have violated more than one there!!! Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:41 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_542157 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_542157 Jacqueline Rochow That's ok, my story was inspired by the Yeerks. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:45:45 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_544183 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_544183 jasn_tiamak ... you get so caught up in the mechanics of your fancy civic transportation system, or FTL ship speed that you actually forget to start writing your novel... but you have a lot of fancy drawings on napkins. ... you are concerned that adding all those piercings might short out your android. ... you invent the entire history of each planet that can been seen outside your ship's "windows". Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:27:35 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_551213 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_551213 ZGruk ....You go around trying to use telekinesis on things. ....You're late for an appointment because you forget that teleportation isn't actually possible yet. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:53:58 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_552934 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_552934 Kathelyne guilty as charged! LOL Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:15:48 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_585439 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_585439 Kathelyne Your story mostly happens on one planet, and when asked why you reply "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get places! This isn't some sci-fi fiction here--" then you realise it is. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:19:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_585505 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_585505 Kross Like half life? Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:22:00 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_588034 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_588034 swenson ...you spend increasingly large amounts of time trying desperately to convince everyone around you that you really, genuinely, truly aren't ripping off Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Mass Effect/whatever other scifi thing you can think of. I <em>swear.</em> Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:35:25 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_588314 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_588314 Azaleya NicKyr ...your computer is covered with sticky notes which themselves are covered in completely unnecessary but oh-so-satisfying equations. ...the only CDs in your car are actually the entire Hitchhiker's Guide radio show. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:04:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_671655 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_671655 Jennifer_P You have robots, and they're rebelling. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:17:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_672344 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_672344 tyburn_cross ...you can't remember if Oxford still exists, or if Professor Burkenhare senior really did accidentally obliterate it whilst trying to find the elusive Mills Ison. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:12:38 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_678471 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_678471 Distressedatbest ...your watching a sci-fi show or movie and imagine a way to try to make it better. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:41:02 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_679001 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_679001 Minnakht And that's why I AM ripping off Mass Effect. Just a bit, though. The species are fun and innovative, but their technobabble leaves too many things explained badly. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:58:09 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_679301 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_679301 DoTheDaft ...You yell "Set phasers to fire!" when you play dodgeball in Physical Ed. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:49:44 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_686424 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_686424 RocketScientist ...your calculator is always within arm's reach while you write. ...wikipedia is always open in one of your tabs Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:50:46 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_687410 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_687410 292froggy ditto... Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:37:13 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_688927 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_688927 thisroughbeast You legitimately have a character wave her hands when explaining futuristic science to another character (who wasn't going to understand it anyway) because the world building is where the magic is for you, and you're just going to get the hard science wrong anyway. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:40:19 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_690233 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_690233 tyburn_cross ...or you watch a sci-fi show or movie and start saying things like "that's going to come in useful later" or "he's only there for a pointless sacrifice in the final battle". Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:33:19 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_690593 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_690593 FlameRaven Well, the Doctor doesn't always have his sonic, but he does always have the TARDIS. Really as soon as you see that you know what series you're in. :D Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:16:03 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_691419 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_691419 FlameRaven A+ Ever since I read Writers Have No Sense of Scale on TV Tropes I can't read anything about galaxy-spanning empires without shaking my head. :/ Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:35:32 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_691639 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_691639 Junk Box 99 I just said the hell with ripping off anyone. I'm writing Doctor Who fan-fic this year! Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:21:55 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_695113 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_695113 Kross You feel compelled to enter something witty and science-y, but just wind up writting, literally, "You feel compelled to enter something witty and sciency-y." You feel depressed because the alien race you've created cant be harmed by blades, or explosive tipped fifty cal rounds....... Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:57:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_704895 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_704895 Jacqueline Rochow That pretty much sums it up. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:01:31 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_705714 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_705714 Kalaraish You spend a great deal of your time trying to avoid thinking about how large the galaxy is so you don't feel blasphemous when your characters travel from planet to planet in a few days. When you find yourself at a loss for things to write, you describe the appearance/mechanics/weaponry of your spaceship for pages at a time. When in order to create a McGuffin you ask your spouse/child/roommate for some science-y words to describe something you ignored in favor of naming your spaceship. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:51:21 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_707916 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_707916 timberwoof There was a time when there was a difference between Sci-Fi and Science Fiction, and Science Fiction fans would get quite miffed at you for not knowing it. Sci-Fi was the cheap stuff: Lost in Space. Science Fiction was the good stuff: Star Trek. Sci-Fi was about spaceships and ray guns and characters explaining the science to other characters who should have known better. Science Fiction was about characters in situations that could not occur in any known historical setting. You know you're writing Science Fiction, he said with his nose in the air, when your characters are an alien race specifically so you can explore the effects of a different family dynamic on their society. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:26:43 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_776745 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_776745 HillAustinD if you have to add a crapload of new words to your word processor's auto-correct between all the gadgets, foreign languages, and foreign worlds. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:57:42 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_789336 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_789336 jblanc If you spend days agonizing what color your robot's heat sink/robe is. If you gloss over said robot's component/function/everything to avoid looking like a n00b. If you cheerfully forget how physics works just to write a neat space scene. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:13:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_789408 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_789408 Gwenivive If you spend hours agonizing over whether your characters can take actual water showers or if it would be too taxing on the recycling system. You have a language called "Standard." You're constantly annoyed by the fact that we named our planet 'Earth' and the Judeo-Christian god 'God.' You spend too much time figuring out what the quotation marks should be for telepathic communication. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:41:16 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_795462 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_795462 Quinpilix You say "screw distance, I'm making a galactic empire anyway" Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:19:39 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796676 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796676 PhantomWriter . . .Your characters chat casually about run-ins with the bubonic plague and the great deals on immunizations in 2194 drugstores Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:46:18 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_799727 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_799727 MetallicRayes ...the solution to every issue raised in the plot is 'hack the FBI/the Government/Sigma Corp/etc'. ...one of your three main characters is a stolen android. ...everything is nanochipped. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:58:16 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_799887 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_799887 AceCorona Some of your characters very existance violates the square-cube law! Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:53:11 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_805362 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_805362 Jacob Hopkins You're able to believably have your characters explore, with dubious success, the nearest bathroom for several hundred words, and make it fit into the story. To quote one of my characters, "'Try the shower', my ass!" Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:31:15 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_807844 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_807844 agentofchaos ...you spend serious amounts of time debating the written structure of brain-to-brain instant messaging. (And what kind of punctuation to use) Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:39:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_810714 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_810714 Junk Box 99 ...and you KNOWINGLY committed that violation! ;-) Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:30:18 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_812183 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_812183 Junk Box 99 I participated in a forum RP where we really took the time to figure that out. "Spoken words were enclosed in quotes," much like standard punctuation; #Telepathic communications# used pound signs in place of quotes - sometimes included descriptions of images, smells, textures, etc. Some characters lacked the anatomy to speak English/Standard/Common, so they also had a telekinetic means of generating sounds... quite a few of us got really good at HTML and bbCode formatting. It was a WEIRD forum! :-D Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:44:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_812385 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_812385 MandyBroughton ... when your husband and kids ask you why it's peanut butter sandwiches again for dinner, you answer with a corollary to the heisenberg uncertainty principle "I can write or I can cook but I can't do both." Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:20:34 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_813718 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_813718 Stiggy ...you spend way to much time on Wikipedia researching materials, planets, moons, short-period comets... ...you have a calculator to hand and all times for when you need to convert ages in Earth years to Martian years and back again. (A Martian year is 686.98 earth days apparently) Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:32:09 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_818931 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_818931 Kaini ...when half your characters speak in a language called 'robotic' Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:13:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_819374 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_819374 tyburn_cross ...when you refer to the local youths as 'Asbosians'. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:01:29 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_822883 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_822883 Gwenivive Never seen pound signs for it, I have seen &lt;&gt; 'single quotes,' /italics,/ and *bold,* though Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:47:55 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_831567 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_831567 baka_kit They're more like guidelines. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:56:53 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_842858 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_842858 cygwriter I want to know what those sticky situations are. Now I'm curious. Towel, screwdriver...wowsers. LOL Of course if there are shapeshifters afoot that towel could come mighty handy when they lose their clothes. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:01:59 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849346 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849346 cygwriter [quote=mbrsart] ...you create an alien language just so that you can insult people to their faces. [/quote] Have you been peeking over my shoulder? Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:02:37 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849350 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849350 cygwriter Or you create something just so you can make something else that is impossible work. Then you write an entire encyclopedia on the subject...for background. You decide sticky notes are an alien being that has taken over not only your screen but your planet and are now threatening the galaxy! You want a drink that is not describable in any human terms so you experiment so you can write about it. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:05:02 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849368 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849368 cygwriter [quote=froley] Your page is covered in red squiggles because Word doesn't recognise the Hagneratherons of Echypilxok 8. [/quote] love! Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:07:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849378 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849378 cygwriter You ask them where the geneset foods are....the synth...the...you don't have replicators yet? What? I'm not on Fvegisre? Then what the kind of bleep backwords world is this? Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:09:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849390 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_849390 cygwriter Then you take said genomes to a recreation lab for synthesis so you can plot how to clone them. and no it is not illegal to do so, tho for very villianious purposes. Then alter them. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:13:04 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_849418 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_849418 cygwriter [quote=WileJ] ... explaining your novel to someone else requires a crib sheet of both terms and names, and maybe some charts/maps ... you willfully ignore the butterfly effect or find a really complicated work around when dealing with time travel [/quote] love! lol Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:14:17 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_849432 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=2#forum_thread_comment_849432 superwhoshertrekkiknight You can think of so many real-life applications for the superpowers or awesome gadgets you dreamed up, but you're sad because you can't actually use them. &lt;-- all the time. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:36:58 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_876684 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_876684 Tolaura Bookchild [quote=agentofchaos] ...you spend serious amounts of time debating the written structure of brain-to-brain instant messaging. (And what kind of punctuation to use) [/quote] or you have telepaths and you wonder if italics is best for setting it off, or a different font. Can you have emoticons? Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:01:40 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_900384 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_900384 kietjohn ...you worry if your space fleet can pull the space station with a giant shield away from another fleet of warships. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:44:38 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_912992 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_912992 Darkfeather21 ...You wonder how many times that Snake Recombinant is going to get back up. &lt;---- Shot her in the chest four times now, still gets back up. ...You inject pure nanites into the bloodstream of all your characters, just for regeneration. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:51 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_916081 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_916081 Darkfeather21 [quote=PersephoneWatching] ...You spend ages trying to thing of a word for money which isn't credits (No you can't have it:-P ) [/quote] I used dren as my word. NO STEAL! Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:18:56 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_916223 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_916223 LeeMost ...or you have intelligent computers and spend days agonizing if giving them robot bodies would be too much of a cliche. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:35:28 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_920215 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_920215 LeeMost Or you watch a NON sci-fi movie and think of all the s-f ways for the characters to get out of their dilemmas. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:37:28 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_920232 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=5#forum_thread_comment_920232 LeeMost "Pure" nanites! That's great! I can just see the conversation when something goes wrong: "Alblox was injected with impure nanites, poor sap, and now he can't dance." "Gee, that's too bad. Why can't he dance?" "His foot got shot off and the new one grew in wrong. Now he's got two left feet!" "Oh," punches him in the arm. "I almost fell for that!" Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:50:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_920339 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_920339 00Marx LOL, I have this exact same problem. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:44:31 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937148 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=1#forum_thread_comment_937148 00Marx if you hear on the news a Mars mission may have been contaminated with Earth bacteria and your first thought is what would be the conversation between the alien bacteria Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:34:51 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_942158 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_942158 Tolaura Bookchild [quote=00Marx] if you hear on the news a Mars mission may have been contaminated with Earth bacteria and your first thought is what would be the conversation between the alien bacteria [/quote] "Well there goes the neighborhood" Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:20:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_952675 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_952675 dancing_in_the_rain1327 ...Your main character hails from a sector instead of a country. ...You spent more time unearthing unusual two-syllable names for minor characters than coming up with your entire plot. ...Your main character is baffled by the concept of food and how to eat it. ...Everyone wears very geometric suits. ...All the females in your book have shaved heads and nobody finds it odd. ...You use the phrase "Robotic Organic Hybrid" without thinking twice. ...Your characters are addressed by numbers instead of their names. ...You spend hours trying to come up with a creative thing to call humans other than "earthlings." ...You do away with calling it "Earth" entirely. ...Your system of government includes representatives, governors, senators, chancellors, advisers, ministers, presidents, and pretty much any other political title you can think of. Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:56:31 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_960925 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_960925 Gryphon-kl ...A character refers to a time period such as a 'local day' or 'terran year'. ...or refers to a period of hours instead of a day just to be clear to the listener. Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:17:08 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_961397 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_961397 roruna ... you've come up with an in-story explanation for Barbarella-esque situations. Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:38:26 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1000104 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1000104 Sayaren when you wonder whether the child of 2 clones is still a clone or is technically a human. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:14:07 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1063620 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1063620 brian_gott -You've realized that a mutated offshoot of your dominant species is pretty much an inevitable part of your world, but they have no place in your story. -You're planning to make a place in your story for the mutated offshoot. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:48:25 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1064701 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1064701 WolvieGrrl ... You've ever stayed up at night thinking about whether or not clones have belly buttons... Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:39:36 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1091690 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1091690 Junk Box 99 ...and also if you can come up with an answer to that question! If the critter being cloned is a mammal, Yes. Time travel clones? Definitely yes. The "clone" had to have been born in SOME time stream, and wouldn't be *completely* identical... but that's a whole other kettle of fish. "Cloned" by teleportation devices (e.g. Star Trek's transporters) going weird? Still Yes. The clone is essentially a copy of an existing person, scars and all, at the time of the copy. If you should grow your clone from just a genome (Hey, I'm a lousy poet, and boy do I know it!) and allow it to develop as a normal infant would, the answer remains yes. Mammals grow the placenta and umbilical cord out of embryonic/fetal tissue during normal development. (Birds and reptiles develop similar structures inside the egg, although those are usually absorbed into the body before hatching.) If a surrogate mother hosted the clone, certainly. (Real Life example: Dolly the cloned sheep.) If the technology was a growing tank, did the tank let a placenta and umbilical cord form? That would be the nearest to a "natural" growth/development, much like the surrogate mother example, and would drastically simplify things for the cloning tank engineers, since they can use what's already there. Still has a placenta and umbilical cord, thus belly button. That said... How the umbilical cord is removed, and following treatment, will affect the scar left behind, innie, outie, or damn near invisible. I would expect that someone who handles huge numbers of newborn babies (e.g. in a clone factory) might have the technique for removing umbilicals down to an art. With that suggestion in mind... If your story requires clones to have a "smoking gun" of some sort, that could work... not that clones *lack* a belly button, but that their navels are *distinctive.* Some people working in the clone industry could develop a skill for telling which doctor or tech handled a given clone just by examining the clone's belly button. ...and I really went overboard with my answer, didn't I? Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:01:13 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1097074 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1097074 Junk Box 99 *LIKE!* Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:18:59 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1097092 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1097092 I_Just_Want_To_Fly If you think you're an alien. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:59:41 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129770 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129770 I_Just_Want_To_Fly I'm a Timegirl, by the way. Doctor who was based off of my story to BBC but they turned it into a sci-fi show. Still annoyed. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:00:22 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129772 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129772 I_Just_Want_To_Fly YES!!! Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:02:23 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129777 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1129777 iris. ... when you see something Victorian, and your first thought is that it's steampunk, when actually it's just normal Victorian. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:58:54 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1131404 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1131404 ussauklet ...you don't need the calculator anymore. Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:32:52 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1170346 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1170346 fishsicles ...you ever need to code up an n-body gravity sim to work out character backstories. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:40:52 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1208771 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1208771 LeeMost Proof that you write Sci-Fi: I don't even know what that means and you take it for granted that everyone knows! Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:04:04 +1100 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1244986 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1244986 thrilleraddict You spend time thinking about how your elite combat androids would train for a battle/war. ( Thanks to the people who responded to my post about that. ;) ) Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:26:35 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1296269 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1296269 thrilleraddict *LIKE* I knew what you were talking about immediately, Glaise. ;) Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:41:20 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1296311 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/science-fiction/threads/11407?page=4#forum_thread_comment_1296311