Day: January 3, 2017

New Words

Skoth and fald have entered my writing vocabulary for my science fiction novel.

Skoth: skin clothing. Smart clothing which mimics Human skin’s respiration functions but also can shield and protect the body, and cover people so they don’t seem naked, while sculpting and shaping their forms according to their settings.

Fald: fake world. Artificial planetoids constructed to be planets for human activities, called falds to differentiate them from bioships and starships, moons, satellites and planets, and the other places Humans occupy in the far, far, far future.

These are both essentially future marketing terms.

0

Complications

I’m involved in the part of my novel that’s labeled ‘the dance’ in my mind.

The multiple story lines have snaked into a knot. Each of these story lines are represented by a character with a third person personal POV. You’re in their thoughts; you know their lies, perceptions, fears, histories and plans. Now, all of that is running up against the others’ realities and activities.

I end up with multiple documents open:

  • the main document, with the chapters embedded, the actual work in progress, used to confirm scenes and sequence;
  • the bible, so I can look up terms, characters, and details without losing my place;
  • a map of where we’re at and expected to go;
  • and then a document for each of the story lines in progress.

I find myself writing one of the story lines but then switching to another doc and another story line, so as to keep it all integrated and true to the character and their story line.

Then, there are complications, because I love complications. There are the secrets that I know that even the characters don’t know, and that the readers certainly don’t know. There are secrets that the writers and some characters know that others don’t know, and some secrets the readers know that none of the characters know. Complications arise from politics, visions, time and memory. Writing it becomes a breathtaking, cerebral exercise to keep the complications from running me into the ground.

It’s all so satisfying and fun.

Oh, I think, I hope some readers someday find this novel, read it, and enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. I wonder what they will see in it that I’ve written that I never noticed.

Time to write like crazy, at least one more time, just for the sheer joy of it.

1

Today’s Theme Music

I thought I’d honor my starry dream in song. I selected one my recent favorites, ‘Counting Stars’, by One Republic, 2013. I like its juxtaposition with a religious meeting going on, with its revivalist overtones.

Dream on.

0

Starry Dream

It was a trip of  dream, setting itself up and apart from all the other dreams. Not long, nor very detail.

My perspective was outside of myself, so I could see me. It was a younger me, in a tan Member’s Only jacket so popular in the 1980s.

I was in a place I first thought of it as a void but I believe that’s incorrect. It wasn’t a void. It was in space, though, but there was gravity and I had no problems breathing. I was standing on something but it defied my senses to know what I stood upon.

A little old man was present, opposite me, essentially a bearded, robed, bespectacled fellow of cream-in-coffee complexion. He had an aura of age with a sense of being timeless. He was moving stars around.

I watched. He would move stars and then look off. Down, to the right, toward the world, to my left. I realized he was moving the stars and showing me the impact. I was delighted. “He’s helping me cheat,” I said to myself. Then I realized he wanted me to do as he was doing.

So I reached for a star.

I had to spread my arms as wide as I could to envelop the star. Glowing with soft golden light and shaped like an old-fashioned star on a Christmas tree, it was comfortable to hold, and very light. I moved it and then stepped back to see my work in the constellations. I was pleased and amazed. He was nodding while smiling encouragement.

He pointed back down toward the planet. I looked down and saw the changes I made. I knew I was doing that but my perspective only allowed me to see my dream self looking down. I couldn’t see what he saw, but I was laughing.

I thought, “How cool is this? He’s helping me re-arrange the stars.” I construed it to mean I was changing my fortunes, and that really excited dream me and watching me.

I think it’s a good dream to begin a new year.

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑