Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 202 Extrapolating Military Technology, yet more Replacement Tactical Costs

21 February 2014, Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 202 Extrapolating Military Technology, yet more Replacement Tactical Costs

Announcement: There is action on my new novels.  The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name.  I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions.  They are also working on a single theme for the covers.  I'll keep you updated.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

I am writing about the extrapolation of science and technology to be able to write science fiction.  I made the point that it is almost meaningless to try to fully extrapolate a universe (world) that is 10,000 years in the future (and maybe 1,000 years in the future) without applying some cultural and technological shaping.

By shaping the cultures of your science fiction universe, you can shape the science and technology that is extrapolated.  Here is how I culturally shaped the universe of The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox to make the 10,000 year extrapolation work.

The major areas in warfare technology are:
1.  Software
2.  Weapons
     Heavy Weapons
3.  Countermeasures
4.  Defense
5.  Communications
6.  Robots
7.  Vehicles
8.  Environments (personal equipment)
9.  Costs 

Tactical costs are food, fuel, ammo, and replacements.  You can imagine the extrapolation of replacements and parts the future.  Every vehicle and weapon system will require so type of recovery capability and repair.  There will need to be a way to bring new vehicles, parts, repair capability, and new troops to the front. 

Imagine your battlefield.  You will need to get the replacements to the area and then tactically deploy them.  In the case of space or a planet, you will need a spaceship to take the replacements to a space port and then some way to get them from orbit to a planetary space port.  From the port, you will need to move them to the back lines and finally to the front.  Each of these require a transition, a method, and a movement.  I mention this because I like to use these transitions to forward ideas in the novel. 

Moving your troops to the front line doesn't have to be a single paragraph and shouldn't be a single sentence.  This is a writing technique, but a very worthwhile one.  The major events in the life of a soldier are usually not training, battles, and glory.  The major events in the life of a soldier is the travel to the battlefield, the movement in the battlefield, and the movement in response to the battle.  Yeah, the battle is pretty important, but if you read most autobiographies of soldiers, you will find they focus on the movement part and not just the battle.  The battles are usually a small part of the whole.  Getting there is half the journey and an important part of an author's tools.  

More tomorrow.

Also remember, I'm trying to show you and give you examples of how to write a science fiction theme statement and turn it into a plot.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com

Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 199 Extrapolating Military Technology, yet more Fuel Tactical Costs

18 February 2014, Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 199 Extrapolating Military Technology, yet more Fuel Tactical Costs

Announcement: There is action on my new novels.  The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name.  I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions.  They are also working on a single theme for the covers.  I'll keep you updated.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

I am writing about the extrapolation of science and technology to be able to write science fiction.  I made the point that it is almost meaningless to try to fully extrapolate a universe (world) that is 10,000 years in the future (and maybe 1,000 years in the future) without applying some cultural and technological shaping.

By shaping the cultures of your science fiction universe, you can shape the science and technology that is extrapolated.  Here is how I culturally shaped the universe of The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox to make the 10,000 year extrapolation work.

The major areas in warfare technology are:
1.  Software
2.  Weapons
     Heavy Weapons
3.  Countermeasures
4.  Defense
5.  Communications
6.  Robots
7.  Vehicles
8.  Environments (personal equipment)
9.  Costs 

Tactical costs are food, fuel, food, and replacements.  I will discuss replacements, but let's still focus on fuel.  Fuel in tactical (and strategic) warfare is always a critical issue.  The question should always be, where is it coming from and when.  The when is as important because all the fuel in the world that doesn't arrive on time is worthless. 

In my novels, The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox, you can read about fuel in warfare.  Fueling becomes an issue in tactics in space warfare.  Spaceships have to be fueled.  In the universe of The Dragon and the Fox, the fuel is hydrogen and other elements.  Most warships in that universe are equipped with scoops to allow refueling from gas giants.  There is all kinds of free fuel in the atmosphere of gas giants.  Likewise, many of the shuttles use gas scavenge engines for propulsion.  The refuel themselves by burning the atmospheric gases during reentry and during their climb out of the atmosphere.  Pretty neat ideas--because fuel is precious and critical to any operation--especially in space where you can't expect to find a gas station on every planet or solar system.

The point is this, when you write about vehicles in your science fiction universe, you need to tell us what fuels them, where it comes from, and when they can get it.  I used classical means from fuel in spaceships and extrapolated it to the other vehicles.  That's one of the ways you get to the point.

More tomorrow.

Also remember, I'm trying to show you and give you examples of how to write a science fiction theme statement and turn it into a plot.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com

Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 198 Extrapolating Military Technology, more Fuel Tactical Costs

17 February 2014, Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 198 Extrapolating Military Technology, more Fuel Tactical Costs

Announcement: There is action on my new novels.  The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name.  I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions.  They are also working on a single theme for the covers.  I'll keep you updated.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

I am writing about the extrapolation of science and technology to be able to write science fiction.  I made the point that it is almost meaningless to try to fully extrapolate a universe (world) that is 10,000 years in the future (and maybe 1,000 years in the future) without applying some cultural and technological shaping.

By shaping the cultures of your science fiction universe, you can shape the science and technology that is extrapolated.  Here is how I culturally shaped the universe of The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox to make the 10,000 year extrapolation work.

The major areas in warfare technology are:
1.  Software
2.  Weapons
     Heavy Weapons
3.  Countermeasures
4.  Defense
5.  Communications
6.  Robots
7.  Vehicles
8.  Environments (personal equipment)
9.  Costs 

Tactical costs are food, fuel, food, and replacements.  Let's take a slight foray on fuel and engines.  The Germans finally got the concept of fuel for aircraft correct at the end of WWII.  They did by developing a kerosene based fighter and bomber using jet propulsion.  This would have saved them millions of gallons of gasoline if they had started at the beginning of the war. 

Piston powered aircraft--especially turbo charged, high performance ones, like the war planes in WWII require high octane gasoline.  Gasoline is the highest level of refinement for oil.  It is also the most costly.  Kerosene is a much lower refinement.  Kerosene has more energy (BTUs) per gallon.  Kerosene is not explosive.  Kerosene does not evaporate as much as gasoline.  In almost every way, kerosene is a better, cheaper, more stable fuel.  Plus, as I mentioned, kerosene engines can usually run gasoline, where gasoline engines can't run kerosene. 

The German idea was fundamental--they didn't really design an aircraft for the purpose of running on kerosene--they designed an aircraft to have a better TBO (Time Before Overhaul).  The TBO for most piston fighter engines in WWII was 10 hours--the Germans were aiming for 100 hours TBO.  They achieved 20 hours TBO on the Jumo jet engines.  This was an improvement of 100%.  The fuel would have been a feather in their cap.  The TBO was genius. 

More tomorrow.

Also remember, I'm trying to show you and give you examples of how to write a science fiction theme statement and turn it into a plot.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com

Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 197 Extrapolating Military Technology, Fuel Tactical Costs

16 February 2014, Writing Ideas - Writing Science Fiction, part 197 Extrapolating Military Technology, Fuel Tactical Costs

Announcement: There is action on my new novels.  The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name.  I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions.  They are also working on a single theme for the covers.  I'll keep you updated.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

I am writing about the extrapolation of science and technology to be able to write science fiction.  I made the point that it is almost meaningless to try to fully extrapolate a universe (world) that is 10,000 years in the future (and maybe 1,000 years in the future) without applying some cultural and technological shaping.

By shaping the cultures of your science fiction universe, you can shape the science and technology that is extrapolated.  Here is how I culturally shaped the universe of The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox to make the 10,000 year extrapolation work.

The major areas in warfare technology are:
1.  Software
2.  Weapons
     Heavy Weapons
3.  Countermeasures
4.  Defense
5.  Communications
6.  Robots
7.  Vehicles
8.  Environments (personal equipment)
9.  Costs 

Tactical costs are food, fuel, food, and replacements.  These are critical to operating in the field.  An army must be able to get these from a depot to the troops, store them, and use them.  This is more difficult than you might imagine.  Fuel is subject to evaporation.  This was the greatest problem for Rommel and Montgomery in North Africa.  Rommel, the sly devil, discovered that British fuel cans were very superior to German fuel cans simply due to lack of spillage and evaporation.  He saved as much as 40% fuel by recycling the British cans.  That was good because the Brits left thousands in the desert. 

There is a lesson in tactics and logistics--don't leave materiel that your enemy can profit with.  Unluckily, this example was one of the few times the Germans could take advantage of the enemies logistics.  In general, the way Western powers approach logistics is nearly the same.  Develop fuel, etc. based on technology and not on your enemy.  The Russians had a better idea.  They couldn't take total advantage of it, but they had a great idea.  Use diesel.  Kerosene based fuels will not run a high octane vehicle (gasoline).  On the other hand, gasoline will run in a kerosene vehicle.  The best means to take advantage of this is with turbine engines.  The Germans finally got the right idea with their jet aircraft.  No one really took advantage of kerosene for ground based vehicles.  In your writing, you might have your troops use this method of logistics to thwart their enemies and supply their allies.

More tomorrow.

Also remember, I'm trying to show you and give you examples of how to write a science fiction theme statement and turn it into a plot.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com