Most of my stories sit in my head for years, even decades, before I write them. Things I imagined in high school, things I dreamed in college, stories I amused my wife with on long trips ... Sometimes I begin writing one right away, but it takes me a while to finish: I began writing The Reborn Princess Caper soon after I had the original idea, and it's still underway.
"The Last Governor of Eden" came to me as a dream the morning of January 4, 2003. I woke up, turned on the light, turned on the computer, blocked out the parts I remembered, and went back to sleep. Got up again a few minutes later, wrote down the first version of the poem that ends the story, and went to sleep again.
Not content with gifting me with a complete story, the Muse then grabbed me by the throat and said, "Now write it, damn you." "But I'm in the middle of Reborn," I protested. "Do it anyway," she insisted. So I did. Never argue with your Muse; she might not be so generous next time.
I may yet turn "Governor" into a novel. Or I might not; no one's paying me by the word. There's lots and lots more of it in my head, but there's lots of other stuff waiting to be written, too.
"Governor" has obvious antecedents. First, Jerry Pournelle's novels of the CoDominion and the mess it made on colony worlds (see "The Prince" on Baen Books Online, www.baen.com). The relationship between Robert and Alana was partly inspired by the prince and his marine lady in March Upcountry, March To the Sea, and March To the Stars by David Weber and John Ringo, also available from Baen. But it's also inspired by the paidhi and his bodyguard/lover in C. J. Cherryh's books Foreigner, Invader, Inheritor, Precursor, Defender, and most recently, Explorer, which I recommend to you, along with everything else the lady has written. The language of the original notes is her word choice and phrasing, though I've strayed from that as I filled in and expanded the story.
Despite the similarities, I felt "Governor" was worth writing for its own sake. I hope that you agree.
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