Solarpunk and Star Wars

 I finally had a chance to start watching Andor this weekend. (This is the prequel to the Star Wars movie Rogue One, featuring the character Cassian Andor.) As I write this, I've only seen two episodes so far. While watching flashbacks to Cassian's childhood on Kenari, I was struck by how frequently the Star Wars universe likes to show preindustrial societies, especially showing them as innocent compared to the evil industrial Empire. Endor's moon with the Ewoks might be the most famous example, but there have been low-tech worlds shown in The Mandolorian. (I'm sure there are many more examples to cite, but I'd have to do a deep dive into Star Wars lore to find them all.) It's harder to think of worlds shown in the process of developing their own technology. What about worlds in balance with nature and technology? The two that come to mind for me are Alderaan and Naboo. The leaders of those worlds are there to serve their people, not the other way around. Alderaan was a planet known for beauty, and what we see of it shows they valued their environment as well. Naboo is also a world that protects its oceans, especially since it has an sapient indigenous species that lives in them. I would also say that the moisture farms on Tattooine could be considered solarpunk technology, but the inequality and crime keep it from being a solarpunk society.

I realize that Star Wars is known for its conflict, but the galaxy's big enough to contain all types of worlds, and I'd like to see more solarpunk featured in this fandom. Perhaps it's a matter of digging deeper into some of the books and comics. One would think Force-wielders in tune with their surroundings would want to protect the environment, though obviously those on the Dark Side seem indifferent or even hostile to solarpunk concepts.

Do you think Star Wars and solarpunk go together? Can you think of other worlds in the Star Wars universe that could be considered solarpunk? If so, feel free to share them in the comments.

Mastodon

Just thought I'd share my social link for Mastodon:

@Sandra_Ulbrich_Almazan@mastodon.social

I'm still getting the hang of it, since I usually don't have a lot of time to spend on social media. I'd love to follow more writers, so if you're on Mastodon, feel free to share your link in the comments. If you celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, have a happy one!

Microfiction Contest

If you like to write flash fiction or even shorter stories, you might be interested in the 250-word Microfiction Challenge starting on Friday. Writers have twenty-four hours to complete a mini-story in an assigned genre with an assigned prompt. The stories are then judged, and winning writers proceed to the next round. There are a total of three rounds, and writers can win anywhere from $150 to $4,500. There is a registration charge, but part of the fee goes to a charity of the writer's choosing. (Personally, I think it's more efficient to donate directly to the charity.) I don't think I'll join this time since I'm busy with other projects, but it sounds like it would make a great writing exercise. If you do want to join, you'd better hurry; the deadline is tomorrow. It looks like the website hosts other contests, so it might be worth checking it out occasionally.

Solarpunk Markets

 Since some of the short fiction I've been working on lately falls into solarpunk, I was planning to post links to solarpunk markets today. Unfortunately, some of the ones I was watching have already closed. Here's what I did find:

Solarpunk Magazine: They just finished their first year of publication and will be running another fundraiser soon for year two. Here's their submission link.

Solar Flare: This anthology will be published by Zombies Need Brains. They are accepting submissions through the end of the year. You can learn more here.

I was unable to find any current markets specifically focusing on hopepunk or lunarpunk, but if something opens up, I'll pass it on.

IWSG: National Novel Writing Month

Welcome to November! It's hard to believe another month has come and gone, isn't it? That means it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about the IWSG on their website and Facebook page. Our hosts this month are Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton.

Our question for November is about the most famous writing event associated with this month: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

 

I've done NaNoWriMo at least twice, once in 2007 (when my son was still a baby), and another time a few years later, possibly 2010. I managed to "win" both times by reaching 50,000 words, though neither project was ever completed. While NaNoWriMo definitely stretches my writing muscles, I wasn't satisfied with the quality of my writing. (It might work better for me if I was more of a plotter and had a better sense of what I wanted to put down.) I'm not planning to participate this year for two reasons: I currently have several other projects pending and need to complete them before starting something new (unless I get distracted by an anthology I want to submit work to, even though one of my current projects is for an anthology), and I unfortunately don't have enough daily writing time to make finishing a possibility. (I typically have about half an hour to an hour in the evening, which is barely enough time for me to write 500 words, let alone 1,667.) Good luck to everyone who's participating, though!

How do you feel about NaNoWriMo? Are you participating this year? Feel free to discuss it in the comments.