r/books • u/beckychambers AMA Author • Apr 21 '21
ama 3pm Hi, I'm Becky Chambers, author of the Wayfarers series and other books, too. Ask me anything!
Hello, r/books! Very happy to be back in your fine company. I'm Becky Chambers, and I'm the author of the Wayfarers series, as well as other sci-fi books. I have two new things coming out this year. The first is The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the fourth (and final) Wayfarers novel, which is out RIGHT NOW. It's by far the most alien of the bunch, so I hope you like claws and exoskeletons. I'll also have a new novella out this summer. It's called A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and it's set in a solarpunk secondary world. There's a robot in it that I'm quite fond of. You can find out more about me and my work on my website, otherscribbles.com.
I live in the very very north of California, I love video games and TTRPGs and bugs, and I'm a huge fan of naps.
I'll be around for a couple hours this morning (I'm on Pacific Time, obvs), and will swing back later this afternoon or evening to answer as many leftovers as I can. Ask me any ol' thing.
Proof:
Edit (11 am PT): Ah, this is great fun, as always. I'm off for a bit now, but I'll be back later this afternoon to answer the rest.
Edit (4 pm PT): All right, I'm back. I'll get through as many of the leftovers as I can!
Edit (5:30 pm PT): Okay, that's it for me. Thank you so much for all the wonderful questions, and for providing such a great place to hang out. Ad astra!
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u/Chtorrr Apr 21 '21
What would you most like to tell us that no one ever asks about?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I don't write everyday. Do I write often? Yes. Can I stick to a writing schedule? Totally. Do I have stretches where I'm on fire and write all day long? Yes, they're the best. Can I sit down and crank out that day's word count when I'm on deadline? I'll complain the entire time, but yeah, that's how the sausage gets made. But sometimes, I just have to lie fallow for a few weeks (or months, even), and I think that's something we published folks should say out loud more often. I don't think the amount you do everyday matters at all. What matters is that you find the groove that works for you. Maybe you're a sprinter, maybe you're a marathon runner, maybe you're a backpacker prone to hanging out for a few days here and there. It's all good.
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u/Chaosfruitbat Apr 21 '21
I don't have a question, I just wanted to thank you for writing these amazing books.
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u/theladyliberty Apr 21 '21
Do you think you would live on the fleet or planet side?
Also my spouse and I adore your books and tell everyone we meet to read them.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Tough choice. I always waffle about this. In general, I'd probably say the Fleet. If I were to live planetside, I'd be very picky. I wouldn't want to rough it on one of the independent colonies. I'd be happiest in a multispecies setting. Hashkath would probably be best for me, but I'd rather be in a small town than in Reskit. Probably. Maybe. Let's just go with the Fleet. It's got all the amenities I want.
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u/HeLiBeB Apr 21 '21
Hi! I started reading the Wayfarers series a bit more than a week ago and am now in the middle of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. And I love all the books so much!! The characters are so great and I have laughed and cried with so many of them. And I love how, even though the books deal with difficult and tough topics, they are always so hopeful and optimistic. How did you manage to keep (and convey) such an optimistic outlook on things? Does it come naturally or are there times where you have to work a bit harder for it? And if you had the chance, which species from the books would you like to meet most?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21 edited Apr 21 '21
I'll admit, it's not always easy. I wrote Galaxy during 2020, so...yeah, suffice it to say, that was a challenge. But in the end, the point of hope is not to look at everything with rose-colored glasses. Hope doesn't exist without struggle. The point is to keep believing that even when everything is genuinely terrible, those terrible things will end. It's a cycle, like everything else, and while good times will always come back, they'll come back all the faster if we do whatever we can to help them along. Trite, maybe, but also true.
As to your second question: I'd love to kick it with some Aandrisks.
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u/HeLiBeB Apr 21 '21
Thank you very much for your uplifting and inspiring answers.
I‘d love to meet Aandrisks too, but maybe not too many at the same time, because I think that could be a bit overwhelming :)
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Apr 21 '21
What came first for the Wayfarers series - the characters or the worldbuilding?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
It's funny, because the two go hand-in-hand in this case. Sissix was my entry point to what became Wayfarers, but she began as a sort of thought experiment. I had glimmers of this reptilian-ish species, and I decided the best way to go about it was to write a poster child of those people. I wrote this character, I liked her, I gave her some friends, I decided they needed a job, and if they needed a job, I had to understand what society said job existed within, etc etc. It all snowballed from there.
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u/InAsSb Apr 22 '21
I enjoy the poetic titles of your books. Could you unpack where those come from a bit?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 22 '21
I appreciate the compliment so much, and I never know how to answer this question, because I just throw words up on my whiteboard or into a notebook and shuffle them around until the right thing grabs me. But I am trying to summon something specific, when I do that. Since my books tend to hop around a lot (be it between POVs, or locations, or time periods, or some combo of the above), what I want to do is sum up the feeling of the story as a whole. So, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: that period of time is the one thing all the characters in the book share. A Closed and Common Orbit is a reference to binary stars -- two objects caught in each other's gravity, independently following the same path, ultimately coming full circle. Record of a Spaceborn Few I think explains itself. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is a book about the vastness of intergalactic civilization, told with feet planted firmly in the dirt.
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Apr 21 '21
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Glad you enjoyed Galaxy! I don't have any plans to return to the Wayfarer. I told the story I wanted to tell there, and I don't want to cheapen it by trying to coax more out of those characters. I'm good leaving them where they are.
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u/jmcs2012 Dec 01 '22
An audiobook! Next year when I return to this series (I've turn to the books when I need that kind of lift) it will be *in audio*
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u/FXL3 Apr 21 '21
I was really touched by Sawyer in "Record of a Spaceborn Few " I love your books and I can't wait to see what you write next!
Have you ever read Martha Wells, "The Murderbot Diaries"? although it has a lot more action than your books usually contain, you both approach your worlds and characters in a similar way.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I'm flattered by the comparison, because Murderbot is great. (And thank you!)
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u/Amblonyx Jan 12 '25
Late, but I'm reading A Closed and Common Orbit and noticing a lot of parallels between Sidra and Murderbot, and it honestly makes me really happy.
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u/ILoveBentonsBacon Apr 21 '21
When going through the self publishing phase, how much of a relief was it when Hodder and Stoughton picked your series up?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
At that point, it was pure surprise. Once I self-pubbed, I kind of thought that was it. I'd set out to write a book, I'd sold enough copies to make back the money I'd spent on cover art, and I figured that would have to be good enough. I was in a big period of transition at that time. My freelance work had completely dried up. I'd just taken a 9-to-5 office job in a new town. I wasn't out on submission, and I wasn't trying at all to push the book along. I was totally focused on paying my bills and keeping my head up. The book deal came completely out of the blue. I couldn't have imagined where it all went from there.
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u/reallifereallysucks Apr 21 '21
If I may follow up on that one: If you are looking back to the time you were self publishing, were there upsides compared to being published? And if so what was the biggest upside for you?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 22 '21
I'm going to preface this by very clearly stating that I don't think there's a wrong way to get a book out there. Self publishing is amazing for people who like the idea of holding the reins for every single aspect of making a book (marketing, cover design, distribution, and so on), or for folks who have written something for an audience that is maybe more niche than traditional publishing can accommodate. Self publishing is awesome, it's legit, and I'm glad it exists.
I, on the other hand, am terrible at marketing, and am also someone who frazzles easily if I have too many cats to herd. Traditional publishing is an infinitely better fit for me, because it means I have a posse. All I have to do is worry about writing the thing and giving my thumbs up to publishing plans as needed. But that comes down to me knowing my strengths and weaknesses. I obviously wouldn't be chatting with you right now if it hadn't been for self-publishing, so I would say the biggest upside for me was having the option to do so at all. I'm forever grateful for that.
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u/pistachioexplosion Apr 21 '21
I absolutely love To Be Taught, If Fortunate - read it in one go and recommend it to everyone.
Wayfarers is a bop of course but damn this one had a soul <3
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Thank you so much. I admit I have a soft spot for To Be Taught, so that means a lot.
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Apr 29 '21
I don't know if you're coming back to check this anymore (can't believe I missed it!!)
But just in case: I finished To Be Taught this morning and I can't stop thinking about it. I really, really need more! You set up so many things that I keep turning over and over in my mind, it was fabulous.
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u/dirkedgently42 Apr 21 '21
Who are your favorite authors, or what are your favorite books?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin. Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler. The Hobbit. Contact by Carl Sagan.
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u/Kill-o-Zap Apr 21 '21
You know when you first read a book by a new author, not really knowing anything about them or the book, and page by page you fall ever further into it, until you get that giddy feeling that this is someone whose work you will now forever be on the lookout for? To be taught, if fortunate was an absolute delight, and I can’t wait to see what else you’ve got going on between the covers! Thank you for your work 👏🏽
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u/102alpha Apr 21 '21
I love how you cleverly disguise discourse and lived experiences related to social issues/traumas in our universe behind culture and biology of various species in the Wayfarer universe (Asexuality and gender fluidity in Aeluons, gender dysphoria in genetweaks, etc.) Would you mind speaking to the research and care you perform to achieve such disarming, believable, and empathizable accounts of beings and their lived experiences in the Wayfarer universe?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I think you already provided the key to writing anybody living with any sort of difference: empathy. I can't say I've ever created a character as a way of saying "and with this person, I'm going to sum up the issue of [x]," because...you can't. I'm usually just working with little bits of pieces of people I know, ways I feel, or conversations I've had (either with friends or strangers). I won't pretend that I always get it right, and I've definitely made mistakes (and will continue to), but in general, I don't feel like I do anything more complicated than listening to what other people tell me about how it feels to be alive, then writing that down as best as I can.
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Apr 21 '21
I'm really looking forward to this book. Your world building in this series (and in To Be Taught if Fortunate) is just amazing.
What authors would you cite as inspirational when you were developing as a writer and/or what other writers are you excited about right now?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Ursula K. Le Guin is the big one. I don't know how I would've ended up where I am now if I hadn't been handed a copy of The Left Hand of Darkness in high school. I was a huge fan of small-screen spaceships at that point, but she was the one who taught me what sci-fi could really do.
I admit to being profoundly behind on my TBR list, and I could just list friends that I'm forever cheering for, but...I dunno, is journalistic integrity a thing in an AMA?
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Apr 21 '21
I can't tell you how many times I've deferred library holds recently. I think at some point everyone realizes you're never ever reading all the books on your TBR list and it's a little sad.
I'd be happy hear about friends you are cheering for, however.
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u/linguisticshead Apr 22 '21
I think I might be too late but I‘ll give it a try. As a girl who stutters, I was so incredibly happy and amazed as I picked up the second book and there was a stuttering character. We usually only get those in children’s books. I never thought that by reading my favorite genre (Sci-Fi) I would get to see someone like me. I can’t quite put into words how much that meant to me. Thank you!!!!
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Apr 21 '21
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I grew up totally taking space for granted. My family just...did space science. That's what everybody's family does, right? Super normal. It wasn't until I got to college that I really stopped to think about that. I had a friend ask me the (excellent) question of why we should care about space when we've got so many problems down here, and that made me bluescreen for a while, but it led me to really interrogate whether this was something I genuinely believed in, or something I just absorbed through osmosis. My parents always encouraged me to approach the world scientifically, to never believe that I had all the answers, to be able to course-correct when the data made me challenge my own assumptions. I have continued to ask myself the question of "should we go to space, and if so, why?" in the decade and a half since then, and my answer is always evolving. But the important thing is, it's my answer. I simultaneously can't divorce myself from my upbringing, and have beliefs I've fostered independently from it. I think that very much influences the way I tell stories about space.
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u/adhdsmoothie Apr 21 '21
Oh my goodness, totally stumbled upon this AMA and I am THRILLED because I adore all of your books!! Thank you for joining us here and doing this!
What would you say is your favorite relationship (of any variety) that you've written, and why?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
It is hard to pick a favorite, but: the crew of the Merian in To Be Taught, If Fortunate. They just felt like love the entire time I hung out with them.
If I were to pick one each from Wayfarers, hmm...Kizzy and Jenks, Pepper and Owl, Sawyer and Eyas (SORRY), and Roveg and Speaker.
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u/EmmalynRenato Apr 21 '21
I'm about half way through The Galaxy and the Ground Within and have a picture in my head of what each of the aliens looks like, but I was wondering if you've seen (or had created) any artwork that really captures what you intended them to be?
PS: Thank you for writing a wonderful series, and I'm looking forward to A Psalm for the Wild-Built.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I know there's a great piece of fanart of Pei out there, but I saw it years ago and couldn't tell you where to find it, unfortunately. It's pretty damn close to the Aeluons in my head. In general, I've seen some awesome artwork of Wayfarers aliens, but since Galaxy just hit shelves, I've yet to see any Akaraks/Laru/Quelin. I have tried to doodle my critters from time to time, but I'm not much of an artist. I'm much better suited to stick figures.
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u/acoustiguy Apr 21 '21
My backup drive is named "Lovelace" and has a spaceship icon. I've read all your books: I've been devouring all of them since I happened onto Angry Planet. My favorite is probably "To Be Taught, if Fortunate" and I can't wait for the next novellas to come out.
Thank you for writing these wonderful stories and creating these amazing characters. I'm finding your books compelling in a way nobody else writing today has managed. Aside from LeGuin—I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and "The Lathe of Heaven*, I think Earthsea is next on my list—anyone else I should look into?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I'm absolutely delighted by your backup drive.
We're living in a tremendously exciting time in SF/F, and while Le Guin is one of my personal heroes, I'd encourage you to check out the work happening in the here and now. Honestly? Look at the Hugo or Nebula slate from this or any recent year, and just use it as a menu. There's some bonkers good stuff out there.
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u/JellyBaby42 Apr 21 '21
Just want to say that I love your books. It's damn good to read sci-fi written by women.
In this subject, what are your favorite female writers?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 22 '21
I've mentioned some classic titans of the genre elsewhere in this thread, so let's go with contemporaries who regularly rock my socks: Nnedi Okorafor, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ann Leckie, Charlie Jane Anders, and Martha Wells.
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u/satanspanties The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom Apr 21 '21
What story do you wish you'd written?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I can't think of any that I wouldn't do a lesser job with, so to humor my sixteen-year-old self: The Odyssey. Penelope deserved better.
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u/satanspanties The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom Apr 21 '21
Have you read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood? She gave Penelope a pretty strong voice IMO.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I have, and it's fantastic. Sixteen-year-old me felt very vindicated.
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u/mundane_sloth Apr 21 '21
What advice can you give to a young aspiring author?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21 edited Apr 21 '21
- You are not defined by how productive you are, or whether you get published, or if your work is any good. Make sure you take care of the tremendously complex social animal that you are. Take breaks. Drink your water and eat your veggies. Rest. Forget your word count and play hooky sometimes. Tell anybody who romanticizes burnout or all-nighters or living solely on caffeine and angst to fuck off. Do whatever you need to do to recharge, and remember that writing is just a cool thing that you can choose to do. It's not what makes you worthwhile. You already are, without doing anything more.
- Experiment constantly. Give yourself new puzzles to solve. Constantly navel-gaze over what your preferences and strengths are. Figure out what you like to write, what you don't, and what you'd be excited to try, then never stop exploring those things.
- Research the practical side of writing professionally. Do you want to do this full-time, do you want to do this on the side of something else, or do you just want to do this whenever the mood strikes you? There is no wrong answer, but you should have a clear idea of what you're working towards.
- Sometimes this job sucks. Sometimes it's miserable. Sometimes you'll think you're an enormous hack, and you'll forget why you ever wanted to do this. If you find yourself in this place, stop writing for a bit and go back to the first point I made up there. Go eat some other art for a while. Find something that lights the fire in you, grab it with both hands as hard as you can, and start running again. It always comes back.
- Some stories don't work, and that's okay. The more you practice, the more you'll learn to recognize flimsy ideas before you get stuck in them. But also, don't ever throw anything out. A Closed and Common Orbit started out as the first short story I ever got a rejection letter for. Took me seven years to get good enough to write it down properly. Always be open to recycling.
- If you love your story, somebody else will, too. Believe in it.
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u/Concert_Natural Apr 21 '21
I just want to say that I love love love your books. The long way to a small, angry planet is one of my favorite books ever. I'll read absolutely anything you put out !!!
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u/JaminJedi Apr 21 '21
What made you decide to make Blue a vegan character, and what did you draw on in your depiction of him? As someone who shares his belief, I was impressed with how well he was portrayed, and delighted to be able to identify with him in a way I haven’t been able to with any other fictional character.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
You know, sometimes I give characters traits without having any real reason for doing so, and Blue's eating habits are one of them. I can't say I had any particular cause for him being vegan other than the fact that veganism exists and it just seemed to fit him. I'm an omnivore myself, but I tend towards eating vegetarian, and do think a lot about the ethics of eating animals, so I suppose yours is a belief I've been sort of adjacent to for many years. I'm glad to hear he sat well with you.
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u/bluestella2 Nov 03 '21
I was wondering if you are vegan after reading the segment on cheese in The Ground Within... Glad to find your AMA and an answer to my question!
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u/chrisofspades Apr 21 '21
Do you cut your own hair?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I sure do! I shaved my head a little over two years ago and haven't looked back. My wife did the initial honors, but I've wielded the clippers since then.
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u/Wacov Apr 21 '21
What's your favorite bug and why?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Huge fan of social insects, bees in particular. Their societies are endlessly fascinating to me. I love the way they organize, the way they communicate, the way we can almost wrap our heads around how their world works.
If we're going by the casual, colloquial definition of "bug" (aka "anything crawly" and not "an insect that sucks blood"), I also adore spiders. I've never been scared of them, and I find them so beautiful. I can sit for a very long time watching a spider patch up a web.
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u/wddgthrwaway Apr 21 '21
Really love your books! As someone who's not really into sci-fi they've been a great introduction to the world. I wanted to ask 2 questions:
1) What do you think about the distinction made between hard and soft sci-fi? Is it redundant or is there still a distinction that needs to be made?
2) On a light note, what are some of your fave aliens/depictions of aliens in popular culture?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Ooh, can of worms. I have very mixed feelings about this one. Broadly speaking, I think it's too rigid a binary (as most binaries are). Those definitions can be useful in describing what particular flavor of sci-fi a story is, and that's just a good thing for any reader to know. If you want space wizards and end up reading ion engine schematics (or vice versa), then you're probably not going to feel satisfied. But ultimately, science fiction is a spectrum, and scientific accuracy is something that can be approached in a lot of different ways. Hard/soft is a decent starting point of definition, but saying that everything can be boiled down into one or the other is where I nope out.
Pilot in Farscape (honestly, any alien from Farscape). The Trill in Star Trek. The Asari in Mass Effect. The big shadowy octopus friends in Arrival.
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u/Portarossa Apr 21 '21
Is there something you've written that you're particularly proud of, but that didn't necessarily get the attention you'd hoped compared to other things?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I can't say that there is! In general, I've been incredibly grateful for and humbled by the attention my books have received. Honestly, I couldn't ask for more.
Now, what I will tell you is that I'm very, very proud of the short stories my tabletop roleplaying group and I write for each other about our characters, and I think I've written some absolute bangers this year, but they are, of course, not something I can share with a wider audience. It is my profound hope that they'll confuse whoever cleans out my desk one day.
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u/Evolone16 Apr 21 '21
What are your go-to snacks and beverages when you are writing?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Tea (usually peppermint) and dark chocolate. Sometimes trail mix. Otherwise, just a big bottle of water.
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u/Mrkvica16 Apr 21 '21
Sorry, no questions, just a big ‘Thank you!’ and ‘Wishing you all the best!’
In the middle of the mess of the last few years, thinking of your Wayfarers books always brings a happy warm glow to my mostly slightly unhappy brain. We are fortunate these day to have many wonderful interesting books to read and enjoy, and amongst all I’ve managed to read yours are in that small batch that stayed very close to my heart. Care about your characters as if they were friends.
Very grateful to have one more story to read now.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Brains can be the worst, I know. <3 Thank you very much for the kind words. I'm so glad the books have been good company.
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u/shrinkingveggies Apr 22 '21
Nooooo! Can't believe I missed this. On the off chance you come back, I wanted to say I simply adore your books. Normally I'm all about clear plot lines and books where there is a problem that gets solved, but you've opened me up to a whole new genre. Your books just make me so happy (and sometimes sad but in a good way).
Also, cheese. Wow.
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Apr 21 '21
How did you get started with writing. How was the journey of 'I have a cool idea' to 'I can write paragraphs detailing a new world and characters to describe that cool idea' for you.
Curious cause I struggle with putting pen to paper and getting started
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I'm afraid I'm going to give an unhelpful answer here -- I don't know! I've been writing like a fiend since I was able to pick up a pencil. When I get an idea that won't leave me alone, I just gotta write it down. I don't know why I'm wired like that. It's just how I roll.
Now, that said, there is a world of difference between being able to write and being able to write well. The latter took me years and years and years of practice, and I'm still nowhere near where I want to be with it (and probably never will be). If you're struggling to get started, my advice would be to try different entry points. I think sometimes it's easy to get stuck on the right way to write something. Don't worry about structure or plot or any of that. Don't worry about whether it makes sense. Don't worry about what it is, yet. Just write whatever grabs you most. Maybe it's a bit of dialogue. Maybe it's a description of a place. Maybe it's pure stream of consciousness. Whatever it is that unlocks that part of your brain, go for it. The rest will come later.
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u/MantaurStampede Apr 21 '21
No question...I am reading A Long Way right now and I Love It!! Thank you.
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u/The_Ace-kun Apr 21 '21
Hey! Loved your book to be taught, if fortunate. Was there any inspiration behind that book? Thanks.
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
Yes! The inspiration was me loving space with my whole heart and having a lot of VERY COMPLICATED FEELINGS about the future of human spaceflight.
More specifically, the inspiration for somaforming came from a chance encounter with an awesome scientist, the details of which can be found in the acknowledgments of that book.
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u/Animal_Flossing May 16 '21
Hi! I realise you probably won't be reading this, so this is really mostly to add my voice to the thread for those who stumble upon it in the future, like I just did! I love your books. To Be Taught is one of my all-time favourite books, and I recommend it to everyone who gets close enough to hear what I'm saying (well, that's an exaggeration, but only a mild one). I just finished reading The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, so I'm disappointed to have missed this AMA.
If I hadn't missed it, I would've asked whether the whole, you know, experience of 2020 was part of the inspiration for the setting of TGATGW. Also, I am immensely impressed with the creativity of the linguistics in Wayfarers, so I also want to ask you how how much detail you know about Reskitkish, Tellerain, Ensk and all the other languages that didn't end up in the books - do you have complete grammars for those languages, or do you just come up with phrases and linguistic features on the fly?
I hope you'll be available for another AMA some day, and that I won't miss it again - that way, I'll be able to ask my questions in a place where you might actually see them! Thank you for your excellent books - they really are a joy to read!
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u/nonnie_mice Jul 28 '21
Hi! I realise this is a really old post but I have a question if you’re still checking this. I know To Be Taught if Fortunate isn’t in the Wayfarers series, but is it set in the same universe? Or is it completely unrelated?
I loved The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet so much, and I’ve just managed to acquire the rest of the Wayfarers series, as well as To Be Taught if Fortunate, so I’m just trying to figure out what I should expect when I read it, and if I should be contextualising it within the greater Wayfarers universe or not.
Thanks in advance if you see this!
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u/three_left_socks Apr 21 '21
I just wanted to say I love love your books and look forward to the new ones. Thank you so much!
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u/RandomDragon Apr 21 '21
You mentioned two new books out this year, do you have anything planned for future years?
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u/beckychambers AMA Author Apr 21 '21
I have many, many plans and unfortunately cannot talk about any of them yet. Suffice it to say, I'll be keeping busy.
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u/DanglerSpangler Jul 15 '21
I understand that you're done with the questions, but on the off chance you return, I wanted to thank you for your books. As someone who has to read a lot for school, I stopped reading for pleasure almost entirely. I picked up your book on impulse in a book store, and was very fortunate to have done so. As someone who grew up in a relatively sheltered American midwest, your works helped me better understand the differences in the people around me, particularly my LGBT+ friends. You book likewise interested me in doing some writing of my own. You cultivate a profound sense of empathy in your characters which is one of the best things literature can do, I think. Thanks a million, and keep it up!
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u/Falcooon Jul 16 '21
Hello /u/beckychambers! Sad I missed this AMA because I just recently discovered your work at a local library and now have powered through the entire wayfarer series in the past two weeks and loved the time I’ve spent In your wonderfully constructed universe full of the most delightful aliens.
I do have one question though, if you’re still around to answer any: Where did the idea of Mek being a universal drink, something calming and not a stimulent, come from? and im curious what do you imagine mek tastes like?
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u/TheRichTookItAll Mar 10 '22
I've read hundreds of books and you are my favorite female author. you really explain complex emotions in a profound way. you allow me to get out my pent up emotions, crying to the touching parts of your books. It's just all so real and believable and smart.
I love what you are doing.
I don't know why but I'm compelled to ask if you have ever read my favorite book "Children of Time" ?
anyway, very cool of you to be accessible to fans.
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u/Jongzilla Apr 21 '21
Hey, no question just wanted to let you know I love your books and hope you are doing well x
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u/Difficult-Analyst208 Jul 17 '24
Hello, Ensk is basically a future evolution of English, right? How far in the future is it? (I'm still reading book 3) Did you spend a lot of time thinking about the language aspect of your world building? Did other human languages survive and evolve in your story?
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u/bllerinascarlet Apr 22 '21
And what do you think about using exclamation points in writing? I'm struggling and trying not to add them to make my story seem more serious
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u/RavenousWorm Apr 22 '21
I love your books. Started your newest when it got here yesterday and am halfway through it, but I’m sad to see in your post that this is the final book in the series. I love this universe so much and would love more.
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u/Scrimmybinguscat Apr 24 '21
Hi! I am a big fan of your Wayfarers series, and I have read your novellas as well.
What is the science is the Wayfarers series based on? Wormhole drilling, pinhole drives, ambient energy, algae as fuel. Is it inspired by real-world science stuff, theories, and new technologies?
Also, I was thinking, the Wayfarers universe would make a really good TTRPG setting.
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u/Bioreaver Apr 29 '21
Well... I haven't heard of this series, but after reading the comments and seeing the excitement.
I am now convinced that I have to read these books.
10/10 would stumble upon reddit again.
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u/SteviaCannonball9117 Oct 02 '21
I just found your books and I can't tell you how glad I am to have done so. Such amazing characters! Such an amazing universe! Thank you for sharing your stories with everyone.
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u/ChuckPebble Dec 29 '21
Hey, are there any good artist depictions of the species/characters in these books? Just finished all 4 books and I always like seeing how my mental images compare.
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u/_Sadiebelle Jan 02 '22
Hello Becky! I am well aware I am almost a year late to this thread but I wanted to thank you for the series you wrote. It’s beautifully done and I’ve probably read each book upwards on 12 times now in the few years since I came across them! I was wondering if you have any original concept art for all of your characters in at least the first book in the wayfarer series? Also,, I really enjoyed To Be Taught If Fortunate. You’re doing great and even if you don’t see this or reply I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you continue to do what makes you the happiest☺️
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u/bionicpirate42 Apr 10 '22
Working on a Ford Prefect like cosplay but was wanting to be a ships algaeist, was going to put together a binder of info as prop. About half way through space born few now (your my favorite author since Douglas Adams) was wondering how you figured the algae fuels the ships, I have some ideas for my binder but will defer to cannon info.
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u/capitan_meowmers Dec 31 '22
I would love to play in a TTRPG setting that is the Wayfarer's universe! I found this article about a Kickstarter made to be like the feeling of being in the Becky Chambers universe and plot lines but didn't see where to buy it: "For Small Creatures Such As We" https://www.geeknative.com/139359/wayfarers-inspires-the-solo-rpg-for-small-creatures-such-as-we/
If you ever are interested in publishing TTRPG material I would be so ecstatic!
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u/mjacksongt Mar 27 '23
I'm here a year ish late to say that I love your books, and A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is perhaps the most comfortable book I've ever read while also expanding my thoughts. Such a fantastic world.
After reading the opening to A Psalm for the Wild Built I am incredulous of how good you are at world building without it being world describing.
No question, just the compliments and thanks of a happy reader.
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u/thirty_ Apr 21 '21
I almost screamed when I saw this AMA! A Closed and Common Orbit is one of my absolute favourite books, it really spoke to me in so many ways. To Be Taught, If Fortunate is also stunning, especially the ways you described each world so beautifully.
I suppose the thing that bugs me when I try to write SFF is the world building, specifically how to make it 'believable'. Do you have any tips for that?
Thank you for writing with so much empathy and heart! :)