# Advice Needed on Sci Fi Story Idea



## columbo1977 (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi Guys

Toying with an idea for a Sci-Fi story and was wondering if I could get your input.

Idea goes, perspective flips between 2 main worlds for the most part. Following a planet earth who spanned dozens of light years and many colonies until they ran into the Auroch an alien race (haven’t decided on type yet, but not humanoid) very aggressive and outnumbering us vastly. Humans slowly driven back to the home world in a war lasting about 100 years, in this time ruling body of the planet realises they are going to lose and so turns to the scientists for a way out. Many theories are tried until some believe they can move the entire planet through an artificially created wormhole, they spend the next 50 years working on the project and in the last 10 years of the war they try to move the planet with no success a total of 11 times.

In the last attempt as the Aruoch approach the Sol system they have one last ditch attempt, the wormhole appears and swallows the planet but when it materialises it is not in the next galaxy like they had planned but in orbit of the sun, they think they have failed until they realise there are other planets sharing their orbit. They are all Earth 13 in total.

The second main perspective comes form the dimension that has received these 12 other earths all now in orbit of our sun.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for looking

Graham


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## StephenP2003 (Sep 22, 2009)

As a SF writer myself, I think your idea has potential. Puts a new spin on the colonizing other planets theme, as well as the humans vs. aliens plot. Some questions for you to consider before running with it full-force.

1. Who is your lead character (or characters) and what are his goals? 

2. Given your premise, why is he the best choice to be your lead character?

3. How much are you going to cover the alternate universe in your story? 

4. Lead characters in the alternate universe?

5. What is the collective, high-level goal of your alien race? (e.g., are they overpopulating and self-preserving, which forces them to be aggressive in protecting their shrinking resources? That might be an interesting parallel to humans, kind of a glimpse into the future of what the human race could become. It also gives your aliens more depth beyond just being sadistic/carnivorous/power hungry)

6. Do you have or do you plan to research the science behind wormholes, the force need to move our planet out of Sol's gravitational pull, and the means of transportation for your characters to travel between planets? 

(Hint: faster-than-light and speed-of-light travel is no longer acceptable in written SF.) If your characters have to make a trip from a planet that's even a few hundred light years away, you'll have to deal with the issue of time. A few months or a couple of years may pass on board the space craft because time is relative, but the planet you left behind and the planet you're heading to will both have aged significantly (a century or more) by the time you arrive. Essentially, you'd never see anyone you know again unless they are traveling at an equal velocity in the same direction or have a loooong lifespan.

Wormholes are a possibility for faster travel, but few SF readers will accept a wormhole being opened at will along with any ounce of accuracy as where it might take you.

Also, in good SF, a character's research time is not a substitute for legitimate extrapolation when the technology in question is an important part of the plot and its conclusion. For example, you can't have a protagonist in desperate need of a device that can control AI machines remotely, and have him sequester himself for three years, emerging with that device. Without any idea as to what they're working on and the research's limitation, you can't have a team of scientists spend multiple generations of time developing something to move earth through a wormhole and reposition it precisely in an orbit parallel to the first universe. How is it possible that 13 planet Earths revolve around the same star and produce livable conditions for humans without colliding with each other, or at the very least, significantly altering the gravitational pull of its adjacent planets?

Sorry to nerd out on you. Just had some free time at work. I'm not saying the idea doesn't work, just letting you know that SF literature has standards different from "Sci-Fi" on TV and in movies. It can work if you do enough research to allow readers to believe _in_ your story even if they don't believe it. Good look with the idea.


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## columbo1977 (Sep 22, 2009)

See Below


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## columbo1977 (Sep 23, 2009)

Hi Stephen



> As a SF writer myself, I think your idea has potential. Puts a new spin on the colonizing other planets theme, as well as the humans vs. aliens plot. Some questions for you to consider before running with it full-force.
> 
> 1. Who is your lead character (or characters) and what are his goals?


 
I am trying to decide if the lead character should be a military leader or lead scientist or both. I will say that the beginning of the story is in the dimension where the Humans are being beat but then it moves to the dimension where all of the planets are appearing. There will also be main characters in that Dimension, but they would also be Military and scientific seeing as planets are appearing 




> 2. Given your premise, why is he the best choice to be your lead character?


 
The men that I choose would be the best choice as they are at the forefront of the situation as it develops, I may end up with a few main characters.




> 3. How much are you going to cover the alternate universe in your story?


 
I have answered this above but to guess at a number I would say the 1st quarter in the dimension under siege and the rest in the one that is receiving the planets




> 4. Lead characters in the alternate universe?


 
This has been answered above, I would take any advice however.




> 5. What is the collective, high-level goal of your alien race? (e.g., are they overpopulating and self-preserving, which forces them to be aggressive in protecting their shrinking resources? That might be an interesting parallel to humans, kind of a glimpse into the future of what the human race could become. It also gives your aliens more depth beyond just being sadistic/carnivorous/power hungry)


 
I was thinking of a combination of both, over population on their worlds so expansion is the main drive. They are not like us so don’t care how many they kill.




> 6. Do you have or do you plan to research the science behind wormholes, the force need to move our planet out of Sol's gravitational pull, and the means of transportation for your characters to travel between planets?
> 
> (Hint: faster-than-light and speed-of-light travel is no longer acceptable in written SF.) If your characters have to make a trip from a planet that's even a few hundred light years away, you'll have to deal with the issue of time. A few months or a couple of years may pass on board the space craft because time is relative, but the planet you left behind and the planet you're heading to will both have aged significantly (a century or more) by the time you arrive. Essentially, you'd never see anyone you know again unless they are traveling at an equal velocity in the same direction or have a loooong lifespan.
> 
> ...


 
I still have allot of work to do on this part but…

I was just wondering how much detail I would have to go into about the technology as I have read many sci-fi novels that use this technology or technology like it and don’t really explain how it works.

I am thinking along the lines of gateways are created by devices that are ejected from a starship which distorts space creating the wormhole, then travels through as it is creating scanning space thus avoiding opening inside a star or planet etc.
It would then form an anchor on the other side. A build ship would then travel though (this is a dangerous job as the wormhole at this point is not entirely stable) and a companion gate would be built for normal travel between them.

I see what you are saying about the time to develop the technology so what I would say is it doesn’t happen over generations but decades and they are adapting the wormhole tech not coming up with something new.

I will get some scientific background to support this but like I said I'm not an inventor 

For the orbit question I will also have to do some research but remember that the planets are not supposed to appear in another dimension that is an accident, it was meant to goto a sun like ours but with no significant planetary bodies. When they appear in our solar system they are appearing in a stable orbit on our orbital path so there shouldn’t be any collisions (I realise that this is unlikely but then this is SF after all)

I have a few more things to think about but would welcome more feedback.

Thanks

Graham


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## LionofPerth (Sep 24, 2009)

On the travelside of it, interesting. Wormholes, it's one of those things when it's done well, it doesn't need to be explained, but when done badly, it does go wrong very quickly. 

Event Horizon I think may have done something similar, where as instead of travelling in one space time, they crossed into another. Of course, a very different story, but there is some crossover. 

As for the faster than light travel, personally I like good old fashioned hyperspace. It still takes time, it's not instant, and you don't need to explain it, they think they're opening a hyperspace portal, turns out a mass like a planet can't really be transported in hyperspace, only to appear in a whole new dimension. Who knows, perhaps some elements of relativity apply on the Planck scale. Not really an option if you go with wormholes, but another way to view the situation. 

On characters, in a case like this, I'd personally go for the average person in one of the more.... war ravaged Earth's as the main character of the story. Stock standard average trooper/marine/PBI. The generals might face losses in the thousands, but what's of greater value than a person's life?

Switching between these average characters is what made an anime series I like, Last Exile, work so well. It's was the small guys that made the biggest difference. Maybe have one from an Earth on the verge of invasion, another preparing for an invasion. In the confusion they realise the person they are fighting is a dimensional..... duplicate, to borrow from Sliders. That could lead to some very interesting situations, and even more interesting from my point of view, they're all the same character, just different versions of. 

Thirteen different Earth's in the one solar system, there's a lot you can do with it. I'd like to see where you take it.


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## Tigerfeet (Sep 26, 2009)

Personally I'd recommending taking a look into string theory and the latest in quantum physics. I watched a video a while back that described how electrons act differently depending on weather or not they're being observed. All possibilities exist until observed by some form of consciousness which collapses them from infinite 'maybes' into one 'is'. Interestingly enough, it lends credence to Douglas Adams' 'improbability drive', as crazy as that sounds.

When you mentioned multiple earths I started thinking about multiple possibilities not collapsing. I also thought about the TV series 'Sliders'.

The general idea sounds interesting, especially if you made the main character on the different earths the exact same person. It'd be a challenge to write so that you don't confuse the heck out of the reader. Maybe the same name and different lives depending on which world he's living on.


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## columbo1977 (Sep 27, 2009)

I'm not going for Sliders hence 13 Earths in the same solar system not really travelling between Earths.

I like the idea of using the same person for the different planets, showing different lives turning out different.

Private on one earth General on another 

I am researching now and starting notes. I am grateful for the feedback, keep it coming.

For propulsion, I like the idea of Hyperspace. I will think on it.

Cheers for the help

Graham


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## LionofPerth (Sep 27, 2009)

The only thing I have against using the same character for each point of view, is how you separate them, middle name, rank, branch of service, Marine in one, Army in another, Navy in a different one again. It's something you need to look at in the writing. 

On String theory, it could be used here, I'll have to review a book of it I have, which does go into M Theory a little, though, to be honest, in this case giving Hypersapce a mass limit seems the best option, from my point of view. It's not perfect, but then who knows how large scale masses operate on the Planck level, and I'm not sure we as a race will every be ready to deal with that knowledge. At least for what it implies, if not what we will be able to do with that type of knowledge and all that we will discover leading up to it. 

Glad I could help, I know I'd find it interesting if two of the duplicates, to borrow from Sliders again, met.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Sep 27, 2009)

StephenP2003 said:


> (Hint: faster-than-light and speed-of-light travel is no longer acceptable in written SF.)


 

I'd be careful handing out pronouncements like this.  Doesn't reflect what I know of the genre, nor the perspectives of most of the readers I know.  What is your source?


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## columbo1977 (Sep 27, 2009)

> The only thing I have against using the same character for each point of view, is how you separate them, middle name, rank, branch of service, Marine in one, Army in another, Navy in a different one again. It's something you need to look at in the writing.



I would have to use something so you would know which once was in focus, I think I would use rank or service or nicknames, I dont know yet if I am even going to go into detail on everyplanet as i'm still in the planning stage.



> On String theory, it could be used here, I'll have to review a book of it I have, which does go into M Theory a little, though, to be honest, in this case giving Hypersapce a mass limit seems the best option, from my point of view. It's not perfect, but then who knows how large scale masses operate on the Planck level, and I'm not sure we as a race will every be ready to deal with that knowledge. At least for what it implies, if not what we will be able to do with that type of knowledge and all that we will discover leading up to it.



A bit above my head i'm afraid, what book is this you are using??

I will definately have a couple if not more of them meeting up at some point, will be good 

Loving the feedback and help, thanks as always.

Graham


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## LionofPerth (Sep 27, 2009)

Mainly from a book.... THe Elegant Universe, which does an excellent job of introducing and partial explaini9ng the concepts behind String Theory, leading to M Theory, the documentary of the same name is also quite good. If anything the doco is the better choice, deal with the concepts is done very well visually, and you don't need the depth of detail the book has.


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## Calliopenjo (Oct 2, 2009)

It sounds interesting, but I'm sensing a redundancy in the story line. It will also take some crafty writing to keep the story short, simple, and to the point. Granted we learn what we read in stories, but there is a fine line between learning and enjoyment as well.  I wish you luck though no matter what you decide. It also helps if you present a sample chapter of this story so we may get a better idea.


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## ToddGuthrie (Oct 2, 2009)

You have an interesting premise.  The real question is what happens to humanity once we get 12 more Earths full of people?  We could have commerce between the worlds, a military alliance against the aliens, etc.  Also, which one is 'lucky 13'?
On the science side, I suggest that the space ships use wormhole generators, as was suggested above.
Perhaps wormhole technology has already been developed already by humans, and that was how we managed to span dozens of light years.  However, we can't make wormholes bigger than the size necessary to fit a spaceship.  That means the main research for moving Earth would be expanding (a lot) on the existing technology.  But the issue is that maybe a wormhole the size of Earth doesn't just bend space into a bubble the way a spaceship-sized wormhole does.  Instead, it breaks space by popping the bubble, which then creates an overlap into a parallel reality.
Another science issue is what happens to a solar system with so many Earths?  You should realize (and perhaps incorporate) the fact that so many Earths would have a tremendous affect on the tidal flows of the Earths' oceans, among other things.  There might be global tsunamis on an annual schedule.  Something to consider.
Also, Auroch is the name of an extinct wild cattle.


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## LionofPerth (Oct 3, 2009)

If we're talking about the massive distortion in space time, let me spend some time with the Physics department at my uni. They'd be able to give me an idea of how extreme it could be. It could be so bad that it would actually destroy one, if not multiples of the other Earth's. 

Not having noticed this before, does this include the Moon or not? This would involve more force, on a gravitational level.


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## columbo1977 (Oct 4, 2009)

Hey

I will compile some notes and see if I can do a chapter tomorrow.

Not sure about the Wormhole/Hyperspace question yet.

and yes the Moon will be there for all of the Earths when they translate.

I will say that all of these planets being pulled into our spacetime is a by product of the 13th planet trying to move thier own planet to a different place in space. The whole dimention thing is something they were not planning for.

I havent a clue about gravitational forces and I obviously need to come up with something to explain this is there is suddenly 13 earths all with Moons orbiting our Sun.

Thanks for all the input so far.


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## columbo1977 (Oct 4, 2009)

> the story short, simple, and to the point



Not sure what you mean, i'm wanting to write a book not a short story?

Cheers

Graham


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## LionofPerth (Oct 5, 2009)

columbo1977 said:


> I havent a clue about gravitational forces and I obviously need to come up with something to explain this is there is suddenly 13 earths all with Moons orbiting our Sun.



I'd look into it. Planetary bodies in too close an orbit will affect the other, whether in this case it means that a few, if not at least half of these other Earth's may be nothing but rock and dust. There's only so0 much a planet can take before it does fracture.  

Of course, grtavity may not be held to this one plane of existance, perhaps somehow the transit of each of the planets creates a.... not a black hole, that carries too much associations, but perhaps a hole of sorts, where the gravity is going, for each of the earthes. 

Another option is to have each Earth slightly out of phase with the other, in comparison to the base, prime, world. That way, at least in my mind the gravity issue disappears, but how they would intereact becomes the question. 

As for showing this, different levels of gravity, how light and sound waves behave, as well as base particles and laws relating to them could ways to show them as different. One might be a high gravity world, another a light one, for a simplistic example.


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## columbo1977 (Oct 5, 2009)

Hey

I must thank you for your continued input, I want this to be a worthwhile endeavour.

I like the idea of the planets being slighly out of phase as an effect of travelling from another dimention, enough to negate the gravity issue but still allowing us to see them and travel to those planets.

Communication could be difficult because of the phase variance but not impossible.

What do you think?


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## LionofPerth (Oct 5, 2009)

To a degree, it depends on things I don't know alot about.

I can't comment on much more, but there are supposed to be eleven dimensions out there, so you might as well use them. 

Of course the question then becomes how are these other dimensions represented, is it something like Non-Eculdian, or something entirely different. 

A signal is a signal, it's more difficult to break the language barrier, as well as just picking up the signal. Just because they're from another version of Earth doesn't mean that they're going to speak the same language.


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## Calliopenjo (Oct 5, 2009)

columbo1977 said:


> Not sure what you mean, i'm wanting to write a book not a short story?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Graham



Sorry, I worded that wrong.  What I meant was, to keep the scientific explanations short, so that the audience isn't lost, and to keep the explanations interesting so that you don't lose the audience.


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## Mark G (Oct 5, 2009)

My first thought as you were explaining the story was that it sounded a lot like "Starship Troopers". Then as the story changed to spending 50 years on experiments to transport the planet, it got very original.

Certainly, the only reason governments would spend money on moving the planet would be if they had no other choice. Governments are always looking for the lowest cost solution. That's why the Space Shuttle is built by the low bidder. There would have to be a 'plot device' (some situation) that would prevent them from building a fleet of ships and taking everyone off Earth on that fleet (various stories use this scenario).

Creating such a wormhole would most likely (disclaimer: not a physicist here) take a HUGE <- with a capital "H" - amount of energy. The disruption to the gravitational patterns of the solar system caused by this event (and then missing Earth) would undoubtedly shift the orbits of all the other planets.

Assuming the planet didn't disintegrate completely, then assuming that all the inhabitants didn't die from the g-forces caused by the jump, and assuming the planet didn't lose its atmosphere (which basically clings like a thread), then when Earth reaches its destination, it might have a velocity similar to its original velocity. 

Unless it landed exactly the same distance from a new sun, then it would either freeze or burn. If the orbit wasn't exactly right, it might go radically elliptical like a meteor, and swing so far out that everything froze, then so close to the sun that everything fried.

Assuming there's a reason all that didn't happen, and you now have the mass of 13 Earths pulling the sun, it'll be like putting 2 lb weights in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The solar system may not be able to handle the stress without losing some planets. (again, I'm not qualified to speak scientifically, just expressing what hurdles I'd have to overcome to believe the story line)

If there are reasonable explanations for all that, then I'd move on to the main character.



columbo1977 said:


> I am trying to decide if the lead character should be a military leader or lead scientist or both.


I don't think there are very many military leaders who are also scientists. The careers are usually drastically different and require completely different skills and mindset. It might be easier to relate to a military leader than a scientist since the science will be so "out there".



columbo1977 said:


> I was just wondering how much detail I would have to go into about the technology as I have read many sci-fi novels that use this technology or technology like it and don’t really explain how it works.


Most don't go into the tech because the tech doesn't exist; so the more they say, the more likely someone can find issue with it. Better to go light on the tech.




columbo1977 said:


> I am thinking along the lines of gateways are created by devices that are ejected from a starship which distorts space creating the wormhole, then travels through as it is creating scanning space thus avoiding opening inside a star or planet etc.
> It would then form an anchor on the other side. A build ship would then travel though (this is a dangerous job as the wormhole at this point is not entirely stable) and a companion gate would be built for normal travel between them.


Excellent example of overcoming several of the doubts I mentioned.



columbo1977 said:


> I will get some scientific background to support this but like I said I'm not an inventor


 
Definitely a good idea.



columbo1977 said:


> For the orbit question I will also have to do some research but remember that the planets are not supposed to appear in another dimension that is an accident, it was meant to goto a sun like ours but with no significant planetary bodies. When they appear in our solar system they are appearing in a stable orbit on our orbital path so there shouldn’t be any collisions (I realise that this is unlikely but then this is SF after all)


The odds of 13 build ships not detecting eachother would be slim though - and a build ship not detecting 12 other Earths would be slim. The call home would be really cool to hear:

"Houston, Build Ship Alpha"
"Go head Alpha"
"Arrived at wormhole exit, reporting twelve existing Earth planets in orbit."
"Please repeat Alpha, did you say 'TWELVE EXISTING EARTH PLANETS'?"
etc.

Then they'd have to figure out how to insert #13 without causing earthquakes and massive distruction to all the other 12...

If you throw in enough sex and romance, maybe people won't ask a lot of questions


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## columbo1977 (Oct 5, 2009)

Hey Mark

You seem to have replied to a few of my earlier posts and a few things have changed so I will see if I can answer each point 



> My first thought as you were explaining the story was that it sounded a lot like "Starship Troopers". Then as the story changed to spending 50 years on experiments to transport the planet, it got very original.


I was convinced that it was too long a period of time to develop the tech which is why I settles for a few years instead.



> Certainly, the only reason governments would spend money on moving the planet would be if they had no other choice. Governments are always looking for the lowest cost solution. That's why the Space Shuttle is built by the low bidder. There would have to be a 'plot device' (some situation) that would prevent them from building a fleet of ships and taking everyone off Earth on that fleet (various stories use this scenario).


The motivation is complete annihilationof the Human race, these beings have killed Millions on colonies and the human race has been forced back to the home planet, leaving on ships isn’t a viable alternative due to the enemy being all over our section of the galaxy. They don’t have the time or ships  to ferry 10 billion people to another Galaxy which is why they are working on something to move the planet.



> Creating such a wormhole would most likely (disclaimer: not a physicist here) take a HUGE <- with a capital "H" - amount of energy. The disruption to the gravitational patterns of the solar system caused by this event (and then missing Earth) would undoubtedly shift the orbits of all the other planets.


I will cover the energy question when i think of something  Maybe they use artificial black holes or something to power their ships and they use many of them to power the generator (located on the moon) I'm not sure at this point.

As for their Solar System, this is a last ditch grasp for racial survival. They do not care what happens should they fail. Should the Solar system disintegrate when they escape all the better as it will wipe out the enemy as they enter the Earths orbit to destroy us.



> Assuming the planet didn't disintegrate completely, then assuming that all the inhabitants didn't die from the g-forces caused by the jump, and assuming the planet didn't lose its atmosphere (which basically clings like a thread), then when Earth reaches its destination, it might have a velocity similar to its original velocity.
> 
> Unless it landed exactly the same distance from a new sun, then it would either freeze or burn. If the orbit wasn't exactly right, it might go radically elliptical like a meteor, and swing so far out that everything froze, then so close to the sun that everything fried.
> 
> Assuming there's a reason all that didn't happen, and you now have the mass of 13 Earths pulling the sun, it'll be like putting 2 lb weights in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The solar system may not be able to handle the stress without losing some planets. (again, I'm not qualified to speak scientifically, just expressing what hurdles I'd have to overcome to believe the story line)


I have stated that I will have to come up with something to get round this; I have been thinking about using the out of phase idea to get round most of this. I have no idea about gravitational forces but I am thinking that the 13 Earths will be equally spaced on the same orbital path (I realise how astronomical the odds would be. But we are talking SF  )



> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *columbo1977*
> 
> 
> ...


I mean both as in two characters playing the main's  I was advised to go for a normal military private or something like that. I will have plenty of scope as there are many Earths to vary the ranks.



> Most don't go into the tech because the tech doesn't exist; so the more they say, the more likely someone can find issue with it. Better to go light on the tech.


Sounds good, needs to be plausible within the realm of SF though.



> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *columbo1977*
> 
> 
> ...


I was thinking this was how the 13th Earth travelled between the stars until they met the enemy but was then thinking about Hyperspace, now not sure which to go for.



> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *columbo1977*
> 
> 
> ...


Think you have misunderstood here. the ships I was talking about were normal interplanetary ships used by the 13th Earth to establish colonies etc etc.

The planet would be moved from its orbit, 12 failed attempts cause 12 Earths to appear in OUR system. The 13th is the last attempt before invasion and obviously it works.

Hope I have explained ok, and like I said I will see if I can get a 1st chapter done to post here. Remember it is all ideas at the moment and I am open to advice.

Thanks for looking.

Graham


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## Mark G (Oct 5, 2009)

I think that the concept of building a stable wormhole by sending a drone, followed by a build ship, would be pretty interesting.  That got me thinking that big machines would be playing the role of "Archimedes' lever".  In fact, that might make a cool name for the operation...

The fact that the other 12 Earths were slightly out of phase with our reality would eliminate a lot of problems...  The drama of what happened on the ships involved in moving Earth would be juicy stuff.

The suspense in the final minutes before they flip the switch...

There's enough there for at least 3 books - the war, the move, the discovery of the other 12 Earths...


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## columbo1977 (Oct 5, 2009)

> I think that the concept of building a stable wormhole by sending a drone, followed by a build ship, would be pretty interesting. That got me thinking that big machines would be playing the role of "Archimedes' lever". In fact, that might make a cool name for the operation...



I quite liike the idea of that 



> The fact that the other 12 Earths were slightly out of phase with our reality would eliminate a lot of problems... The drama of what happened on the ships involved in moving Earth would be juicy stuff.



Yes if written right it should be good.



> There's enough there for at least 3 books - the war, the move, the discovery of the other 12 Earths...



I am trying to decide still on what to do here, where to spend the most focus ot to write a trilogy..... decisions decisions...


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## Mugician (Oct 6, 2009)

Without having read any of what other people have said so far, I'd like to say that I love one certain part of the idea.



> In the last attempt as the Aruoch approach the Sol system they have one last ditch attempt, the wormhole appears and swallows the planet but when it materialises it is not in the next galaxy like they had planned but in orbit of the sun, they think they have failed until they realise there are other planets sharing their orbit. They are all Earth 13 in total.



I'm not sure I got this right or not, but if I did, this sounds like the movie The Prestige. Seen it? If not, do so!

Seems to me like you're trying to say that the scientists _think_ they've failed in "moving" their planet, but that in fact, they have successfully moved it a number of times over, and that there are a dozen copies of the planet.

I think that if you're going to go with that idea (if indeed that's what you're trying for), why not make it the center of attention. Have the story occur when the original planet shows up in a solar system holding a bunch of copies of that planet. Document the chaos that it would create, explore the planets who each have shown up at different times over the last 50 years they've been trying to pull the thing off. Make the story about the 13 (or maybe if you were going to really try this, make it a lot easier and lower the number significantly) parallel "earths" and the lives of the 13 copies of however many billions of people.

The history stuff can come into the thing too, but I think that would be killer if you focused on this, as opposed to what made all these things happen in the first place.

Whoa. Slow down.  Good luck.


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## columbo1977 (Oct 6, 2009)

> I'm not sure I got this right or not, but if I did, this sounds like the movie The Prestige. Seen it? If not, do so!



That movie is about magicians?? 



> Seems to me like you're trying to say that the scientists _think_ they've failed in "moving" their planet, but that in fact, they have successfully moved it a number of times over, and that there are a dozen copies of the planet.



Not quite, they think they failed 12 times but it pulled 12 different earths from thier dimention into ours.

hope that helps.


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## Mugician (Oct 6, 2009)

> That movie is about magicians??



*[SPOILER ALERT]*

Yeah. Have you seen it? Remember when one visits Nikola Tesla? And they try to disappear the cat? The thing goes off, and the cat is still there, but a copy of the cat pops up somewhere else. That's what I'm thinking of.

Either way, science fiction isn't my bag, so I'm probably in over my head here.



Good luck.


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## Mugician (Oct 6, 2009)

> That movie is about magicians??



*[SPOILER ALERT]*

Yeah. Have you seen it? Remember when one visits Nikola Tesla? And they try to disappear the cat? The thing goes off, and the cat is still there, but a copy of the cat pops up somewhere else. That's what I'm thinking of.

Either way, science fiction isn't my bag, so I'm probably in over my head here.



Good luck.


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## Mugician (Oct 6, 2009)

Hmmm. I only hit "post" once...


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## columbo1977 (Oct 6, 2009)

no i havent just looked it up on IMDB, I will be getting it though to watch it.


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## columbo1977 (Dec 27, 2009)

Just to update I have been busy for a while but will be coming back to this project very soon and will have a 1st chapter for critique.

Cheers and hope you all had a great Xmas

graham


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## columbo1977 (Aug 12, 2010)

Hi

I know this post is quite old but the comment I have is relevant to this one and doesn't need a new post.

I have contacted the gentleman who runs the site Klemperer Rosettes to ask about the idea of 13 Earths in orbit of the sun, He seems to think that it is possible using the Kempler Rosette. 

I have a sample chapter now should it be posted here or in a new post?

Graham


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