Anathem does that thing that I dislike in any book at the start, narration with a bunch of names/words/people/events that haven’t been motivated at all. It’s like sitting at a bus stop with a stranger and having them tell you about their family reunion by listing off a bunch of names, chuckling at named jokes and events, describing the inside of their aunt’s kitchen for seemingly no reason, then their brother’s basement, more names, and named events. What of this is relevant? Spare me your warmup to the universe/story. Tell the story and describe the universe as it becomes relevant. Keep the warmup in your notes where they belong.