help with a short story

This was interesting help. You didn't plug your book, was it science
fiction?

So she could have a conversation in which a Colonial Separatist
tries to tempt her to--give him some detailed aerial photos of
Washington, DC? He runs this rap about how they must secede from
Earth? Heavy taxation, dumping ground for criminals, which is how my
own fathers got to the US, I believe (You know, this calls every
modern revolution into question and we're not exactly used to doing
that. But I'm not opposed, what the hey. I live in Mexico and just
finished an interesting and plausible book that argued that Mexico
left Spain way too early, no infrastructure, the cause of present
ills. I wonder if there are any books that argue the same thing
forthe US?) So she would be an aerial photographer, that works.

As to the science field of her parents, seems like there would be
less call for weapons specialists than say metalurgists in an early
generation space colony. Would they even have open weapons
specialists? I guess I'm presuming this colony would have been
funded by a consortium of nations--but I guess allies, against
another large block. (I am keeping the caution against this scenario
of another post in mind here.)

Geneticists? Roboticists? Could programmers be the evilest of all?

Because I want love to be the solution to this girl's ailment, her
sickness will be confined to the alienation of womanhood/motherhood
in contemporary culture, as defined by those who think it is so and
wish whoever thought of the words "women's lib" would have kept
their stupid mouths shut. (May I be the first to say on this list:
men's wages should rise, rise enough to support a wife and kids if
she chooses to raise her own kids her own self, and to hell with
equality. But that's another story. But this one is about love,
about being able to love, and to trust, and to start a large family
to populate their own little personal world for many generations. So
somebody tell me about this habs, habitats? What's up with those?)

Jsn

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "terrierkeeper"
>
> Having written and published a novel and am working several ideas
> through, I believe these might be helpful.
>
> 1. I suppose the easiest would be Colonial Seperatists.
>
> It is the easiest. The Scenerio is Earth's government or
governments
> is getting heavy handed and mistreating colonists. Taxes could be
> burdonsom. Perhaps the colonies are being used as a dumping ground
> for unwanted criminals and people are getting hurt. Perhaps your
> character may have suffered such an incident.
>
> Otherwise, perhaps the terrorists are exiles and the old country
is
> having trouble that some earth nation is responcible for. The IRA
> comes immediately to mind but there are others. Perhaps your
> character had a bad encounter with security forces on earth.
> Environmentalsts might be another group.
>
> 2. Is this something they did on earth or something they can do to
> earth?
>
> If it is something that they did to earth. Weapons engineers come
> readily to mind. Otherwise the scenerio is said parents were part
of
> the energy program to create solar satallites that would beam
cheap
> solar energy down to earth but get their calculations wrong and
burn
> out a city or two.
>
> If this is something they can do to earth, the above also applies.
>
> Otherwise, I would sat if you want a terrorist threat to earth
> Nuclear weapons are not necessary, just drop a big asteroid.
>
> 3. Any type of scientist and any type of person can get into a bad
> situation and be redeemed.
>
> 4. On this I have not a clue. Best guess for advise for developing
> your character is just look in the mirror. Having not read the
book
> you mention I can offer even less about the habitats.
>
> Good luck.
>
> --- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "janet_baker76"
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi, space nuts,
> >
> > Would you help me with some questions so I can write a short
story
> > involving colonies?
> >
> > 1. The protagonist, a young woman, is tempted by and rejects
> > cooperating with a terrorist initiative. I don't want a full
blown
> > terrorist event, I want them to be tempting her with an early
kind
> > of participation, like a political rally of some kind. What
would
> > their politics look like, in space? What would be an issue
they'd
> > take up?
> >
> > 2. What kind of scientists could her mom and dad be? I want to
> > portray them as the kind of scientist that managed to leave
Earth a
> > smoking hulk before the colonies finally got built, those for
whom
> > material progress was always the single only factor. What branch
> > would both be most needed on a space colony (think of the
> economics)
> > and also most easily suggest the kind of blindness I'm
suggesting?
> >
> > 3. The protatgonist is save-able. She's a scientist, too. What
> kind?
> >
> > 4. I want this protagonist to make a decision to overcome her
> earth-
> > trauma as a woman and actually let herself fall in love with a
guy
> > and go off with him to found the kind of family-trading
dynasties
> of
> > Vinge's vision (Darkness of the Deep, etc). Would that be in one
of
> > the "habs" mentioned in a post? Could you tell me what these
habs