tim@ism780c.UUCP (Tim Smith) (02/13/86)
Here is the Larry Niven conference from the Science Fiction forum on
Compuserve.
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(1,Sysop Diane D.) SYSOP ANNOUNCEMENT:::::
(1,Sysop Diane D.) SSSSSSSSSSh, everybody!
(1,Sysop Diane D.) All of you be still a moment.
(1,Sysop Diane D.) Good.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Hello. Sorry for the delay.
(1,Wilma Asst SysOp) Wilma here. Having diffulties. Niven will be right
with us.
(1,Sysop Diane D.) HI G!
(1,Sysop Diane D.) All -- > Cool it out, please....
(1,Sysop Diane D.) we'll be running shortly.
(1,Wilma Asst SysOp) Just checking the comm program before letting
Mr. Niven on line with you all.
(1,Wilma Asst SysOp) GEORGE!! Please say hi to me so I know we
are getting thru!!
(1,SYSOP Diane D.) W -- > We hear you!
(1,SYSOP Diane D.) Hi Larry!
(1,George the <SysOp>) Hello Wilma and Larry. You are coming in fine.
(1,SYSOP Diane D.) George -- > there are people in our CO area who think
this is *there*. I am going over to bring them around.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Diane==> Do so. Thank you.
(1,SYSOP Diane D.) LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.....
(1,Larry Niven) larry niven on line. \Hi!
(1,SYSOP Diane D.) Please hold it down so George can get this thing going!!!
(1,George the <SysOp>) First off, I'd like to extend my greetings
to Mr.Niven. Welcome.
(1,Cool Guy!) Hi,Niven
(1,Pulsar) Applause,Applause!!
(1,Ricochet Club) The Coldest Place...
(1,Bear Braumoeller) (clapping)
(1,BIG GUY) APPLAUSE!!
(1,Ricochet Club) Clapclapxla
(1,Mekanoyd) <Standing Ovation!>
(1,D. Wolfe) <crowd roar sounds>
(1,George the <SysOp>) At this time, we will be starting with questions.
However, I'd like to wait a moment for Diane to
return. She might bring in some people from
a different area.
(1,D. Wolfe) Since we're killing time How's mrs Niven and the little Nivens
(1,George the <SysOp>) Fair enough. I will soon.
(1,Larry Niven) we're in good shape. no disasters.
(1,George the <SysOp>) The first question belongs to someone who hasn't
arrived yet.
(1,Ricochet Club) Mr. Niven I think you're the best!
(1,D. Wolfe) Good.
(1,Shadow Weaver) whats jerry pournelle like to work with? (i have
n quest # s this is it)
(1,Larry Niven) jerry's good to work with. it's a TANSTAAFL thing, of ...
(1,George the <SysOp>) Aiken==> In that case, as soon as I get some
quiet, ask away.
(1,Larry Niven) course, when you write a collaboration. we produce better ...
(1,George the <SysOp>) Attention all. Any more comments will result in
immediate ejection.
(1,Larry Niven) stories working together than either can do alone (feel ...
(1,Larry Niven) free to disagree). one problem is getting jerry to work. ...
(1,Larry Niven) he's signed too many contracts, and several years worth of ...
(1,Larry Niven) obligations are all piling up on him.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Ok, lets get started. First question belongs to
Theresa and Ed.
(1,Theresa & Ed) Followup to #1...
(1,Theresa & Ed) Tell us a bit about the PROCESS of collaborative writing ...
(1,Theresa & Ed) vs. your individual writing, perhaps in context of LEGACY OF
HEOROT (with Barnes & Pournelle) vs THE SMOKE RING. GA
(1,Larry Niven) every technique you can think of that collaborators might ...
(1,Larry Niven) need, \I have needed at some point, excepting only one. We...
(1,Larry Niven) have never written alternate chapters. That is a stunt, ...
(1,Larry Niven) not a book.
(1,Larry Niven) with collaborations, you talk the project to death before ...
(1,Larry Niven) you begin writing text. you shoukld have the feeling that ...
(1,Larry Niven) you know the book from beginning to end. it will never be ...
(1,Larry Niven) true, but you still need the complete notes to give you a ...
(1,Larry Niven) target. otherwise you and the other guy might hare off in ...
(1,Larry Niven) different directions.
(1,Larry Niven) with the smoke ring, i know there are parts of the outline ...
(1,Larry Niven) that need expansion. with heorot, we talk it out until we ...
(1,Larry Niven) _know_. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, second question goes to Aiken Drum.
(1,Aiken Drum) 1st of all I would like to welcome you to the Forum tonight....
(1,Aiken Drum) Now for my question, How did you decide on Elephant snouted
aliens in Footfall GA
(1,Larry Niven) we needed a specific kind of alien. we probably didn't ...
(1,Larry Niven) need to start with a modified elephant, but it worked.
(1,Larry Niven) yes, I at least have given uphitting the earth with big ...
(1,Larry Niven) things. but Jim Baen and I are editting an anthology of ...
(1,Larry Niven) stories titled "Hit The Earth With Something Big. ...
(1,Larry Niven) (articles too, including something on the Dinosaur Killer. ...
(1,Larry Niven) Correction: Editors are me and Baen and Pournelle. ga
(1,Aiken Drum) Thanks, and have a great evening!!!GA
(1,George the <SysOp>) Next question is from Baron Greystrom.
(1,Baron Greystrom) Greetings from Alaska....
(1,Baron Greystrom) The Baroness would like to know if you
plan (and how soon) more stories on the
Ringworld, or with Louis Wu and Chmee? GA
(1,Larry Niven) no. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay. Next question is from Brad Ferguson.
(1,Brad Ferguson) Greetings from quaking NYC. In LUCIFER'S
HAMMER, the preservation of the nuclear power
plant (and the decision to preserve it) becomes
critical to the ending. In FOOTFALL, you and
JP save the world with an Orion, er,
battlestar. I'd like to know if you've ever
gotten flak from some quarters because of your
(implied) support of nuclear power. Thanks.
ga.
(1,Larry Niven) We do support nuclear power. It's the safest form of power...
(1,Larry Niven) now in use. We can handle the flak. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Beth Meacham has the next question.
(1,Beth Meacham) Hi, Larry...In regards your "Known Space" series...
(1,Beth Meacham) Did you originally plan to write in a single universe,
or did it just happen? ga
(1,Larry Niven) Hi, Beth! Early on, I found that I had more to say about ...
(1,Larry Niven) some environments or eras than could be covered in a single...
(1,Larry Niven) story. The "future history" approach was convenient. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Lensman has the next question.
(1,Lensman) Greetings, Mr. N. I'd like to know if you
(1,Lensman) still write any of what I call "speculative ...
(1,Lensman) non-fiction" a la ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS and, if so ...
(1,Lensman) where they are being published. p.s. Will you
(1,Lensman) be at WORLDCON next year? GA.
(1,Larry Niven) look for "The Theory and Practice of Instant Learning" in ...
(1,Larry Niven) NIVEN'S LAWS. Sure I'll be at the Worldcon. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Bob Kiffrey has this question.
(1,Bob K.) Hi Larry! Thanks for all the great booksthat you've written...
(1,Bob K.) what ever happened to the movie...
(1,Bob K.) of "Lucifers Hammer"? ga.
(1,Larry Niven) there was an option that held for a year and a half, then ...
(1,Larry Niven) lapsed. now there's another option, recently renewed. The...
(1,Larry Niven) guy thought he could produce by Halley's Comet time. He's ...
(1,Larry Niven) given that up, but still wants to produce a movie. we'll ...
(1,Larry Niven) see. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Frog Star, the next question is yours.
(1,Frog Star) Hi Mr. Niven. First, I especially like your short...
(1,Frog Star) stories (Especially *Deadlier Weapon*. Do you plan...
(1,Frog Star) to do any more with Rick Schumann and the...
(1,Frog Star) Draco Tavern crowd? GA
(1,Larry Niven) I've got outlines for several stories in my files. I'll ...
(1,Larry Niven) have to steal the time to write them! None are Draco ...
(1,Larry Niven) Tavern stories, but I haven't given that up. The latest ...
(1,Larry Niven) was "Table Manners" in NIVEN'S LAWS or LIMITS. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Jim Dolce has this question.
(1,Jim Dolce) Good evening. I've a question about Ringworld.
Why did you choose a ring rather than a Dyson sphere.
And, secondly, is that kind of structure something you
think we might want to build in our own solar system?
(1,Larry Niven) no data loss. i wanted a ringworld for several reasons. ...
(1,Larry Niven) one, you don't need gravity generators. two, you can see ...
(1,Larry Niven) the stars. notice that without gravity generators, you ...
(1,Larry Niven) have to spin the Dyson sphere anyway and colonise the ...
(1,Larry Niven) equator. Thus, you want a ringworld with lids: a ...
(1,Larry Niven) film-cannister shape. If you don't need to collect all of ...
(1,Larry Niven) the lids. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Jay, this question is yours.
(1,Larry Niven) as for building in solar system, I think we would prefer to...
(1,Larry Niven) use another solar system. but if moving turns out to be ...
(1,Larry Niven) did you get all that? ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) I'll try calling Jon Lefstad again.
Jon/Jay, this question is yours.
(1,Theresa& Ed) Larry, we lost your last line. Over 79 chars.
(1,Jay) Mr. Niven, earlier you said you supported nuclear...
(1,Jay) power. What is your feeling about Fusion Power?. GA
(1,Larry Niven) I said build little Ringworlds in Lagrange points. Five ...
(1,D.Cortesi) ((George, please name both present and NEXT
questioner - gives warning))
(1,Larry Niven) million miles diameter, a million miles across, plenty of ...
(1,Larry Niven) room. ga
(1,Larry Niven) We want fusion power. Fusion rockets. Bussard ramjets. ...
(1,Larry Niven) Bussard is dancing as fast as he can. But we don't have ...
(1,Larry Niven) that yet. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, this question is from Steven Dickson
(Despite), next is from P.M. SPera.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, Steven appears to have disappeared.
(1,BIG GUY) GEORGE CAN I GET BACK ON IF I LOG-OFF?SORRY
(1,George the <SysOp>) Patrick Spera is up for this question
(1,George the <SysOp>) Yes.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Pat is gone as well. Ok, James Spielberg has this
question.
(1,James N. Spielberg) How and why did you and Mr. Pournelle
come to write "Inferno"?
(1,James N. Spielberg) ga
(1,Larry Niven) I talked him into it. He was trying to talk me in to OATH ...
(1,Larry Niven) OF FEALTY and we had done some work. I remembered that I ...
(1,Larry Niven) had been daydreaming about the Inferno ever since college. ...
(1,Larry Niven) And Pournelle was highly educated in matters of religion. ...
(1,Larry Niven) ga
(1,James N. Spielberg) thank you, sir. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, K. Brott (Mekanoyd) has this question
followed by Jackie King.
(1,Mekanoyd) Good Evening Mr. Niven...
(1,Mekanoyd) About DREAM PARK (W/Steven Barnes) . . .
(1,Mekanoyd) The book seems to be an interesting ...
(1,Mekanoyd) Mix of D&D & The S.C.A., what inspired
(1,Mekanoyd) ...
(1,Mekanoyd) you two to write this, & what background...
(1,Mekanoyd) did you base it on...personal experience...or just
an interesting theme...
(1,Mekanoyd) to play with...<wording bites, but I...
(1,Mekanoyd) Think you get what I mean, <hope!>) GA
(1,Larry Niven) steve came to me with a map of Dream Park. By the time we ...
(1,Larry Niven) finished talking we had a fantasy game within a detective ...
(1,Larry Niven) story within an SF story. Some friends set up a ...
(1,Larry Niven) demonstration game for us to give us some background. I ...
(1,Larry Niven) borrowed the songs from friends in the LASFS, with ...
(1,Larry Niven) permissions. ga
(1,Mekanoyd) Thanks, Good night, & BLESSED BE!
(1,George the <SysOp>) Jackie King (ZYX) has this question,
followed by Tim Boyer.
(1,LOUIS WU) GEORGE,COULD YOU GIVE AN OCCASSIONAL Q NUM WITH THE NAME? SORRY.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, Zyx split. Tim Boyer has this question.
(1,Tim Boyer) Hello, Larry. I've been a fan for abount 20 years, but ...
(1,Tim Boyer) I'm not a ***FAN***. Could you tell me who some of the other
(1,Tim Boyer) people on the Threat team are? I know you,
Jerry & Heinlein, of course. ga
(1,Larry Niven) I think I`d rather leave you guessing. Some are ...
(1,Larry Niven) combinations of two or more real people. None of the ...
(1,Larry Niven) Threat Team are entirely fiction. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) David Wolfe has this question. The current
question number is 56.
(1,Larry Niven) mollasses mode? ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) David, are you there?
(1,George the <SysOp>) Oh well. Bypassed.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Mike Roseman, you have the floor.
(1,Michael Roseman) Hi Larry...
(1,D. Wolfe) sorry Nature called
(1,George the <SysOp>) D.Wolfe==> Hold.
(1,D. Wolfe) Holding
(1,Michael Roseman) Sorry knocked off Can I still fo ahead?
(1,George the <SysOp>) Mike==> Continue.
(1,Michael Roseman) Based upon your only vaid excuse for collabs.
in intro to "Limits"...
(1,Michael Roseman) what skills do you feel JP has that you lack? ga
(1,Larry Niven) Jerry was part of the team that formulated space medicine. ...
(1,Larry Niven) he ran a campaign for Mayor Yorty (the time he won.) He ...
(1,Larry Niven) was a Lieutenant in Korea. If my story line needs internal...
(1,Larry Niven) politics or current space hardware or an understanding of ...
(1,Larry Niven) warfare, I'm likely to go to him.
(1,Larry Niven) ga
(1,HELPER SYSOP) Geo -- > Zyx is on 32, waiting. Got /fropped at his turn.
(1,Michael Roseman) Thanks.
(1,BIG GUY) GEORGE WHAT QUESTION NUMBER IS THIS,SORRY MR.NIVEN,I REALLY AM!
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, David Wolfe is up for this question.
(1,D. Wolfe) And now for question 56...
(1,D. Wolfe) It seems that many science fiction stories....
(1,D. Wolfe) would lend them self to film well......
(1,D. Wolfe) yet all we seem to have to show for it is a "B" version of.......
(1,D. Wolfe) Damnation Alley, and the debacle that was Dune.
(1,D. Wolfe) Why is it that more "quality" Science fiction hasn't made it's
way to...
(1,D. Wolfe) The Big Screen. What do you see as the major problems
with the medium. GA
(1,Larry Niven) Several problems.
(1,Larry Niven) 1) I can spend $10,000,000 special effects money in a ...
(1,Larry Niven) paragraph. It would cripple my story if I kept remembering ...
(1,Larry Niven) the movie possibilities.
(1,Larry Niven) 2) Putting a movie together is a very complex project, ...
(1,Larry Niven) given how many people are involved. A producer may simply ...
(1,Larry Niven) not want to deal with one more person: the author.
(1,Larry Niven) 3) Lack of science fiction fans in Hollywood. (That ...
(1,Larry Niven) situation is improving. So are the movies. Watch for BACK...
(1,Larry Niven) TO THE FUTURE and even THE TERMINATOR. ga
(1,D. Wolfe) Thanks and let's keep trying.
(1,D. Wolfe) GA
(1,George the <SysOp>) This question goes to ZYX.
(1,HELPER SYSOP) Geo., Zyx had to leave.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, this question goes to The Speaker then.
(1,The Speaker) Larry --> Well, I'll pass, for now....
(1,The Speaker) (But, no.. I am *not* a Kzin!)
(1,The Speaker) GA
(1,George the <SysOp>) Right. Ridenow, this question is yours. (Q#63)
(1,Ridenow) Mr. Niven, welcome...
(1,Ridenow) I am impressed with the concept of the ..
(1,Ridenow) Smoke Ring. But I am curious as to...
(1,Ridenow) whether or not it could actually exist
(1,Ridenow) long enough for even plant...
(1,Ridenow) life to evolve. Also, do you have any...
(1,Ridenow) plans for further adventures of Phoenix and Dancer?
(1,Ridenow) GA
(1,Larry Niven) Beats me. It would be hard to demonstrate that plant life ...
(1,Larry Niven) would _not_ have time to develope in a Smoke Ring ...
(1,Larry Niven) environment. The Titan gas torus must have been stable for...
(1,Larry Niven) a long time.
(1,Larry Niven) who the heck are Phoenix and Dancer? ga
(1,Ridenow) Phoenix and Dancer are the characters from...
(1,Ridenow) the MORE MAGIC book. They were in the
(1,Ridenow) story set in current times. GA
(1,Larry Niven) Those were not my stories. You're referring to Zelazny's ...
(1,Larry Niven) story, and he owns the characters. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, this question is from Mark Tomlinson.
(1,Ridenow) OOPs, you're right.
(1,Ridenow) Sorry.
(1,MARK T.) good Evening MR. Niven. Lend me if you will your speculative
thoughts...
(1,MARK T.) where do you feel the next step or at least the future
direction..
(1,MARK T.) of the space program ought to lie? perhaps with the
space colonies or...
(1,MARK T.) something else. <<ga>>
(1,Larry Niven) I think the orbital defenses come next, alongside civilian ...
(1,Larry Niven) spacecraft such as Gary Hudson's "Phoenix" craft. I do ...
(1,Larry Niven) better thinking further into the future. I'd like to see a...
(1,Larry Niven) cruise ship travelling the solar system forever. ga
(1,MARK T.) thanks
(1,MARK T.) ha
(1,MARK T.) ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay, Rick has this question. (Q#77)
(1,Pulsar) Thanks George, Hello Larry...
(1,Pulsar) I wanted to know how you came up with...
(1,Pulsar) the aliens you used, such as the puppeteer, and the Pac...
(1,Pulsar) Als What authors you like to read?
(1,Pulsar) ga
(1,Larry Niven) Designing plausible nonhuman ETIs is difficult. Teaching a...
(1,Larry Niven) course in how to do it would take more time than we have. ...
(1,Larry Niven) And I dare not name my favorite writers for fear of leaving...
(1,Larry Niven) someone out. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay. This question is from Mike Smith (TARDIS)
(1,Wanderer) #?
(1,George the <SysOp>) 82
(1,TARDIS) HI, LARRY. HOW WOULD YOU FINANCE COLONIES AT THEE L-5 POINTS?
(1,TARDIS) AND IN WHAT YEAR WOULD YOU PREDICT THAT SUCH COLONIES WILL
BECOME A REALITY?GA
(1,Larry Niven) I'd ask my brother. I don't know how to sell real estate, ...
(1,Larry Niven) but he does.
(1,Larry Niven) Colony in one of the L5 points: 2020 AD. Figure a hundred ...
(1,Larry Niven) years before the other point is settled. {TYPO: I meant ...
(1,Larry Niven) Lagrange points, L4 _and_ L5.) ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) This question is from Christopher Browne (Q#85)
(1,Christopher Browne) Mr. Niven...
(1,Christopher Browne) Are near-future sf stories...
(1,Christopher Browne) too difficult (or depressing )...
(1,Larry Niven) GEORGE< I have to sign off at 7 PM. ga
(1,Christopher Browne) to write? Thanks. GA
(1,George the <SysOp>) Larry==> Ackn.
(1,Larry Niven) No. They require far more work. Near future societies are...
(1,Larry Niven) built on present-day law, customs, technology, even ...
(1,Larry Niven) advertising campaigns. A writer has to understand all of ...
(1,Larry Niven) that if he is not to sound like a damn fool. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Mike Keller has this question.
(1,Michael Keller) Sir, this is a SEQUEL QUESTION. Do you have in mind
(1,Michael Keller) any more stories in the timeline of A WORLD OUT OF TIME
(1,Michael Keller) and THE INTEGRAL TREES, and/or do you and Mr.
Pournelle plan any sequels to any of
(1,Michael Keller) your collaborations? (Please elaborate if yes.) ga.
(1,Larry Niven) I'm writing THE SMOKE RING, a sequel to THE INTEGRAL TREES ...
(1,Larry Niven) (which belongs in the WORLD OUT OF TIME universe.)
(1,HELPER SYSOP) Geo -- > Zyx is back!!
(1,Larry Niven) Jerry and I have signed a contract for THE MOTE AROUND ...
(1,Larry Niven) MURCHESON'S EYE. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Chris Trowbridge has the floor.
(1,Chris Trowbridge) ~How would you compare one-on-one collaborating...
(1,Chris Trowbridge) with the sort of en-masse work you did on
Medea: Harlan's World?
(1,Larry Niven) "Medea" was done "in series": we worked on our sections, ...
(1,Larry Niven) then passed the work on. Even so, it took a godawful long ...
(1,Larry Niven) time to become a book. "Thraxisp" (eight collaborators) is...
(1,Larry Niven) an even worse example: no book has emerged, though we all ...
(1,Larry Niven) agree it would be nice. Multiple collaborations are at ...
(1,Larry Niven) best a risk. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Wanderer, the floor is yours.
(1,Wanderer) Thanks...
(1,Wanderer) Ok. What's your favorite book and author
(or style of writing if you...
(1,Wanderer) prefer not to give just on) Ga
(1,Wanderer) Did I come through?
(1,Larry Niven) Wanderer: picture yourself allowed to read just one book ...
(1,Larry Niven) over and over again for the rest of your life.
(1,Larry Niven) I don't have a favorite book. I prefer variety. I don't ...
(1,Larry Niven) even have a favorite style; I read Normal Spinrad _and_ the...
(1,Larry Niven) Destroyer novels. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Larry, do you have time for one last question?
(1,Larry Niven) Yes, for exactly one. ga
(1,George the <SysOp>) Okay. ZYX, the floor is yours for one last question.
(1,Zyx) Hi larry...
(1,Zyx) How did Marilyn....
(1,Zyx) get the name ....
(1,Zyx) "fuzzy Pink"?
(1,Zyx) GA
(1,Larry Niven) Long story, dates from college. I've heard it too often to...
(1,Larry Niven) want to repeat it. ga
(1,Zyx) oh well. thanks anyway. GA
(1,Larry Niven) goodnight, all.
(1,George the <SysOp>) Well, before you go I would like to say Thank
you for stopping in!
--
Tim Smith sdcrdcf!ism780c!tim || ima!ism780!tim || ihnp4!cithep!tim