I talked with Lynne yesterday about the book I’m not writing. By that, I mean Renegade. Truth be told, I have been dragging my feet on this book. There are probably several reasons why, but I don’t know that you would be interested in most of them. One reason I mentioned last time is my uncertainty as to how to deal with changes in Earth’s society as a result of rapid technological advancements —probably too rapid. You may remember that I asked for some help on this. The good news is that my author friend Liz O’Connor (see her here) gave me a recommendation that I am going to use. I also saw a quote from Elon Musk that may help. He recently noted that extended life could cause the ossification of society, especially when combined with the normal human tendency not to accept change.
I also discovered that despite my writing about non-Earth societies, I am still Earth-focused. What does that mean? When the Arkon were defeated, the Allies formed the Consortium. And where did I decide to place the headquarters? Why Earth, of course. NOT! Recently, I asked myself why a new group of relatively advanced societies should decide to place their central control organization on Earth— the least advanced planet of them all? I’m now in the process of changing that, which means throwing out some stuff and making adjustments.
Finally, I am considering trying some new skills. Up to now, one of my greatest influences with this series has come from the books by Craig Alanson. However, I have been reading a lot of David Baldacci, and one of his books, The Target, made me want to experiment with some of his style and approaches. That means inserting more mystery into Renegade. That may sound like changing genres, but I don’t think it is. It means more complexity and, more than that, offers more challenges to my writing. That is, in part, why I have been slow to move forward with this book. I’m challenged with new skills and thought processes. That means change, and like most people, I’m somewhat resistant.
What do you think of all of this? I’m expecting to hear from one of my Beta readers, Mike Peterson, who may not like this new approach.
