1632 Tech Manual

1632 Tech Manual, 1632 Slush, and 1632 Slush Comments are each specialized sub-forums of a specific sub-community of the general online community known as Baen's Bar which is a web site focused on the publishers works and forums to let fans interact with writers. The first sub-form, 1632 Tech Manual (from early 2000) is dedicated to developing the background for collaborative fiction in the first Assiti Shards type fictional universe — 1632 universe or "1632-verse" — that began in the novel 1632 by Eric Flint, and the second two are spin-offs related to the fact that the series generated a lot of unsolicited fan-fiction.

The later two forums were eventually created and set aside as a submission venue and talk forum about such submitted work for the initial anthology and the eventual series of serialized e-zines, The Grantville Gazettes all of which resulted from (originally) unsolicited manuscripts plus Flint's decision to make the milieu a Shared universe by inviting in other writers. About that time, Flint was contributing a short story and contracting for a novella to the Honorverse spin-off series "Crown of Slaves" and had become good friends with David Weber, who has opened that sub-series in similar fashion to other writers. Weber expressed an interest in writing within 1632-verse, and that discussion may have given Flint the idea of soliciting manuscripts from other writers on the huge infant canvas. It is certain, he had no plans for a sequel beyond the initial novel.

The 1632 Slushpile
"Slushpile" is publishing trade jargon referring to the pile(s) of unsolicited submissions to a periodical. In the "Continuing adventure" of the Grantville Gazettes According to Flint, the unsolicted stories began shaping the background thought in the series milieu, and the magazine "idea" was born whilst he tried to recoup some of the time costs involved in examining the fan-fiction. Also, he judged some of the tales to be professional quality, and indeed, incorporated many of them into about half of . The flag ship novel was written as a stand-alone literary work, an experiment with the new Assiti Shards story premise, and was but one of three such universes planned by Flint in 2000. However, the sensation and interest engendered by the novel's publication subsequently caused the other works to be temporarily shelved. The other long delayed books in the overall Assiti Shard series which are currently in production under contract are:

* Timespike, with Marilyn Kosmatka, first draft complete.
* 1776, a solo novel.
* By Any Other Name, with Sarah Hoyt, first draft complete.

According to Flint, "The above is the probably order in which the books will be published, because Jim Baen really wants the 1776 novel as soon as possible."

The "1632 Tech Manual" forum has had a large role in developing the overall series as its discussions revolve around the course of likely events, reactions and developments as the fictional town of 3,000 souls transplated into the middle of the religious based Thirty Years' War.

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