So, May didn’t actually work for me.
I only got 1/3rd of my goal in word for the month and made almost zero progress on any of the projects. I didn’t walk very often, managed to wrack up my rib cage while changing the filter in our furnace, and then got sick for a few days, just as icing on the cake.
Quick recap.
I have covers coming for Troy Harbor and Dark Knight Station: Origins.
Audio for the Shaman Tales will be coming this fall from Podium. I owe
Karen the draft for Troy Harbor tomorrow. I’m going to be late.
I have yet to find the thread on any follow up project which is the root of the problem.
- Ishmael and Company started up but I can’t find the handle on them. They’ve all achieved their goals and now they’re just boring.
- I’ve toyed with several choices of Shackleford House stories but can’t seem to make any of them gel the way that Butler did.
- I’ve explored other “Origins” stories but – as with everything else – nothing grabs me.
One positive note: I got the draft for Hostage back from the co-writer.
So, I’ve got three drafts waiting for me to do something with while I’m fighting a goal (2k a day every day) that feels more and more arbitrary as I go.
Perhaps I’ll be able to turn things around in June.
It’s crazy out there and you’re doing better than some.
I respectfully disagree that Ishmael and company are finished. There are (at least) three directions his career might take him, and each has it’s own attraction. Toehold space is still growing by leaps and bounds as mentioned several times in Suicide Run. Scouts aren’t made the way they used to be, so how are they made? Where are the searchers looking? What happens when two searchers find the same claim? Is there a Northern Annex? What of the scouts who have found it years or decades previously and were lost, now adrift in space? What is the interaction between the searchers and CPJCT? Seems like TIC and CPJCT both should recognize the need for managed growth. Seems reasonable that Port Newmar might even open up a specialization in exploration. We clearly have Natalya and Zoya with a perspective on scouting, as well as Ishmael’s experience running a high end packet-sized (Owner’s Share) ship that would make an outstanding scouting host platform. After reaching the peak of running his own company with Carstairs, Ishmael could likely be offered a seat on the CPJCT itself, though politics is not my favorite sort of tale. And what of perhaps guest lecturing at Port Newmar. Seems like an opportunity to put together a young, ambitious crew to run the new scouting operation mentioned above. I hereby transfer full exclusive ownership to any and all of the ideas, related notions, and extensions thereof, mentioned in this note to Nathan Lowell without reservations. Looking forward to where this universe goes next.
Or, do something bad to Ish again.
Give him another love… a miner or farmer out in toehold.
You could always do a cop out with Ishmael and throw in aliens or something. Seriously though the whole joy of the Solar Clipper stuff is the small day to day details of life in space.
I thought they might start the school maybe in Dametri Regeri’s system. Maybe help him develope his station and system. Just some ideas I love the books. Maybe a mushroom farm and a nanotube facility. Well anyway thanks for all the joy your books have brought me.
Reading about your tough months strikes a chord with me. I have 4 comorbidities for COVID and people here (in my neighborhood in NYC) are not using masks. I’ve been under a lot of stress trying to work out safe ways to shop etc. This means that I am self-isolating (with my wife, who is in a similar position) most of the day. Instead of walking at least a mile every day, I am only able to walk two or three days a week. My stamina is suffering. I have a long list of things to do and can’t seem to make any progress. I seem to have gotten my emotional balance back this week (instead of constantly being tense and worrying) and it looks like we finally have the basics of what we need to do under control. I hope that I can now get back on track. It sounds like you are in a similar place. I think that if we got a group of people our age (or older) together, we would find that they are all going through similar stuff.
Very often, when you begin to miss goals it becomes a reinforcing “negative cycle” as opposed to a “virtuous cycle” when you are able to hit your targets. Sometimes, breaking your tasks into smaller pieces and reducing your targets lets you get back into meeting your goals and back into “virtuous cycle”.
Regarding Ishmael and the gang, I see some unfulfilled personal goals for most of the crew but I don’t see a plot to hang it on. For example:
– I loved the point in “Captain’s Share” where Ishmael says “I want to make lots of money” 🙂 He and Pip have the beginnings of a shipping empire.
– Zoya will be working towards her masters ticket and then, possibly for a slot as a captain. Whether Nats goes with her then will be interesting. It may depend how Nats develops. It’s also interesting whether the potential relationships in the command crew will work out.
– I wonder if Al will work through her personal issues while she is an artist in residence. Also, if she gets her captains ticket as well.
I wonder if Nats will describe the change she made to her private barbell (the capacitors etc.) to Ishmael. If yes, will he be able to see an opportunity to do really long haul freight across sectors? In CPJCT space freighters seem to jump to nearby systems because they are only one or two jumps away. In Toe Holds, multi jump trips are common. Ishmael is one of the few people who has been in both places and may see taking the technique into the High Line. The benefit is that once you get out of the gravity well you can keep on doing short jumps frequently – which moves you a long distance.
Ishmael has always been interested in new ways of doing things. Mushroom farms. 3D printing. Maybe he empire can split freight movement into long distance jumping (barbells) and in-system sailing (a new class of ship without the Burlson drive) that would just sail to the edge of the gravity well to pick up a cargo and bring it back to the station in the gravity well.
I can’t think of the obligatory adventures of our intrepid crew 🙂 Or what hobbies and art might be picked up across the settled systems.
Feel free to use any of this. Even if you don’t want to use anything here, it might just spark some new angle.
Good luck!
Shalom
Competition vs Cooperation. A concept for a new goal for Ismael and Company. Ismael may only have a small goal for the company while others want it to grow. Market share and bigger companies trying to out the independents and smaller companies. The pirate and corporate element along with sabotaging the competition. The realities of a pregnant spouse and raising families in space. Taking along entertainers from one venue to another. The breakdown of the High Line system as company planets are voting in independence and creating a new way of life. Bidding scandals as one captain gives bribes to get the best cargoes, tales of the crews that Ismael has met in the past, stories about one of the family ships and the interactions as they make landfall.
I would think with all the talents in the series. The next step may be to find a new system to open. ( Just a thought, something that I would like to see. ) I have read this series 4 or 5 times and still enjoy them.
Hi Nathan,
I hope all is well in your neck of the world. I’ve been thinking about “Where to” and wondered if there was a story about Frank Wang hiding out there, does Ishmael have cousins etc. There was also a mention of Galactic Marines as a career rather than the merchant service on the Lois, and I’m sure they’re out there on the fringes waiting for Ishmael, Pip & crew to bump into or bump heads with them – not in a shooty up way – while exploring.
The Wizard’s Butler was a blast and as neat as they come for twists, so thanks for making lockdown in New Zealand enjoyable.
Take Care.
Grant
Creating a commercial empire is one thing, and finding/training worthy heirs/managers to which to hand it is another. It is often true that creators are not ‘runners’. Ishmael may decide that he’d rather get back into creating, not running. One of the things Ishmael and company will need to do either way is farm talent, grow people, and look for ways to train the future. Technology advances can be immensely disruptive, too….
I agree with the one of the best joys of Solar clipper being “the small day to day details of life in space.” I’ll add to it that I think the Solar clipper series is about personal growth and about relationships.
Ishmael’s story arc to me hasn’t just been whether he meets his goals, but whether he can find happiness in space again and regain the confidence and playfulness that he used to have as a naive eighteen year old.
In “To fire called,” we already start to see Ishmael’s leadership skills coming back. Instead of “staying out of the way” he makes moves like getting his crew a new kitchen. I think seeing Ishmael and Natalie interacting with each other could be reminiscent of Ishmael’s interactions with Beverly (save for the fact that he’s the captain and not a greenie). Even Ishmael’s love for food seems to have diminished over the stanyears and could come back. Maybe the next book could begin with him finally solving the riddle from his therapist about the snake, realizing that instead of chasing his past he should shed it and think of the future while appreciating the good things he has brought with him the past, namely, his current crew as well as all of his past crews that are still all over somewhere in the deep dark.
I do understand the need to having him follow some concrete goal that makes it easy to showcase these subtle changes and the day to day life. Perhaps a new business venture? One that he chooses to initiate himself this time (as he did with his first business) rather than one forced upon him by Pip?
I don’t have advice as to the direction you may take in any of your literary work. You always capture my imagination. Whatever story you tell, I will want to read it.
One of the reasons I love the Ishmael stories is because as he is introduced to the “new to him” world of space shipping. I get to come along for the ride and learn about progressing in that world. When he made owner I expected that would be the end of the series. It technically is but I was pleasantly surprised with the next series.
Milk Run series did something similar, just adjacent to the world we already knew, in toehold.
Phoenix series helped to clean up the story threads. This was an awesome surprise for me. Here I had thought Ishmael had reached his goal of being an owner and you proved me wrong, there was more story to tell.
But this crew seems to be at their best when they demonstrate their ingenuity, leadership, and curiosity.
This is your galaxy so I’m not sure what is possible, here. Perhaps if the characters have met their goals then maybe it’s time to explore something new, throw a monkey wrench at the characters, or give them new goals. Surprise! Life happens, they aren’t dead yet.
I only have a few series that I love enough to re-read. This happens to be one of them (currently re-reading now). I recommend you all the time, and count you as one of my favorite authors. (Wizards Butler was great).
It would be nice to see Ishmael get the living room and family space ship. But really I want to tagalong as he tries something new, whether it was his goal or not- regardless of title, income, relationships.
Thank you for working on it, thank you for sharing all of this. Looking forward to all of your new projects!
I just finished the Butler book, which is how I discovered you. I have reading lots of fantasy during PAUSE. I think Shackleford House would be a great BnB/wellness retreat. Every quarter they can have a one week retreat in the atrium for non-wizards, and then a one week retreat for wizards. The rest of the time it can be a normal BnB. I would hire a cook and a few maids but leave the pixies and fairies to do the rest of the work. Barbara can move in and leave about magic and help in the place. She can teach mindreading at the retreat. Roger can lead a morning physical fitness class.
Roger and Barbara will have to deal with conflict and personal growth as well as interesting people while running the combo BnB/Wellness retreat.Maybe Roger can date a wizard {tricky because what if she is after that necklace?) Also, why did Shackleford’s sister marry Naomi’s father? Was she a wizard? Why did the school burn down? Why is fire such a theme in Shackleford’s life?
The house has such a strong personality and the other characters are so appealing that I want to read more about their world.
That’s a cool idea.
It gives me an excuse to dig back into that story again.
Thanks.
Ishmael’s story is some of the best fiction I have ever read. [spoiler]’s death though caught me hard. Have both the books and audio books, but book 5 is incredibly difficult to get through, knowing what I know.
Really awesome books. Gripping stuff
Thanks for your kind words.
i have enjoyed Ishmael’s series, with a couple of criticisms which i already expressed in my reviews … no need to repeat them here … but i cannot get the series out of the back of my mind and want to see the next book! … i noticed the struggle you have mentioned and i just want to say … ever thought about WHY that humongous ship was built? … do you think someone might have an inkling about “somewhere” BEYOND their galaxy … and wouldn’t it be interesting, if a new direction took the crew far beyond Toe-Hold space? … just a thought … new galaxy, new species, new colonies, new learning experiences … broaden horizons …
I know why it was built.
Hubris.