From Combat Veteran to Author

Discover How Military Experience Shapes Science Fiction Worldbuilding
In this insightful video, explore how my journey from U.S. Army combat infantry officer to science fiction author has profoundly influenced military experience in science fiction worldbuilding. Drawing from real-life planning, training, and high-stakes decisions in the field, I share how these elements bring tactical realism to futuristic narratives like my Guardsman series. For deeper dives into this transformation, check out the full blog post at https://dougfbooks.com/writing/worldbuilding/combat-veteran-to-author/ right now, it's packed with exclusive details!​

As a line officer who transitioned to staff roles, my perspective goes beyond front line action to the strategic "why" behind missions, coloring everything from combat sequences to empire hierarchies in sci-fi settings. In The Guardsman, a three-book series set 3,000-4,000 years in the future, humanity's core tactics endure despite advanced tech, think handheld rail guns firing flechettes at near-light speeds, outpacing black powder relics and sparking an eternal arms race between weapons and armor. This evolution mirrors historical shifts, from bows to shields, ensuring believable interstellar warfare where drones don't dominate but adapt alongside human grit.​

Worldbuilding in The Guardsman draws directly from observed militaries, like Iraq's layered structure of regular forces, Republican Guard, and elite units, re-imagined as the Chroynos Corporate Hegemony's nanobot-enhanced Guardsman Corps, all officers, academy-trained from youth for Western-style doctrines in a corporate colony universe. Scenes with protagonist Samson highlight this: stealthy infiltration pulling from solo ops training, VIP protection amid running gunfights using MOUT tactics, and rail gun battles crackling like lightning with ozone trails, no Hollywood orange blasts, just gritty, dirt-choked reality from explosions I've witnessed. It's cathartic, turning lived mud-and-blood into immersive sci-fi that feels authentic.​

For aspiring military science fiction writers without service, I offer tips: study training videos, consult veterans (thousands exit yearly), and nail details like weapon weight or desert heat to build credibility—avoid zombie tropes where pros panic unrealistically. Realism keeps immersion intact; one false note, like ignoring 120°F metal searing skin, shatters it.​

If this resonates, like, subscribe for more on sci-fi authorship, and comment your thoughts on veteran influences in fiction. Dive into The Guardsman series today!

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