Written by May 15th, 2014

Writing Prompt: A Thousand Years

In Schild’s Ladder, a science fiction novel by Greg Egan, most of the characters live far longer than normal human lifespans. They are immortal, more or less. Some are incorporeal and others have bodies but not necessarily the same ones they were born with. Most of the characters in the book are scientists of some sort or another.

The book is fascinating because of this. Usually when we encounter immortals in books they are the exception to the rule, the only person who will live that long. Either that or they are vampires.

I am challenging you to create a society where the average lifespan is a thousand years. The creation and details of this society are entirely up to you. The details of how the society is effected by the average lifetime is up to you.

There are so many potential ideas to explore within this prompt. I have tried it several times and have always produced very different realities, some fully formed, others more about how individuals are effected by the situation.

All the details are up to you. Happy Writing.

 

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