Category: confusion

“The Fallen” 5/8

From where I started in the summer, this story continues to surprise me. I’d planned an intergeneration novel about the colonization of Mars, followed by some catastrophe where one or some of the demi-humans went feral. Obviously, they had other ideas.

This segment was what I was shown Sunday morning, and it, too, came out of left field at me. I thought I would have some scientific convos with Kira and politics with Fussy. I never envisioned Allie leaving her home world, but here we are.

May have to do a little research for what comes next. Writing “hard” science fiction, I cannot ignore Allie’s bones and muscles being weaker from growing up in a shallower gravity well. Heck, I’m not even sure where she lands: a demi of the Hartmann family in a Jap spaceship bearing news of aliens under Rus territory. It’s a mess.

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“The Fallen” 5/5

Allie tells her story, most of it, to her parents. Their pride in her is obvious, as is her modesty; she is no Fussy or Aurie

Between the Lewis Carroll and Easter references, this is becoming an allegory. I need to review my notes for the rest of Part 5 this weekend. I’ve got a pretty good idea about the Epilogue, but need to get from here to there, first.

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“The Fallen” 5/1

A much shorter segment as, honestly, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going. There, obviously, be a big download of politics from Fussy, but after that? The Japanese are on the edge of this whole affair, whereas it happened on and under land claimed by the Russians. Thus, we all know who will have her say: Reina. Like a bad penny or herpes, she keeps showing up.

Concluding this MS on nothing more than politics would be frightfully boring. So, I’ll have to wait to be told how to shake things up. Maybe with that shrine under the waterfall being used, the Crabbies come back? By ship? Teleporter? Do the Great Powers get drawn into a war over alien technology/life? Need to light a fire somewhere.

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“The Fallen” 4/23

All the way back to Foes & Rivals, there have been hints that what happened was not just “the Breakup,” the economic catastrophe which broke the US and Western Europe, but what the characters now call “the Change.” The Machines seemed to recognize it first; they are very good at noticing things. Even Aurie in Regent says, “Go outside at night with an old book about astronomy; the stars are different now.”

We get another glimpse of that in this segment. Is Allie tripping? Is she dead? Is this another temporal transference? Trust me, I’ve no idea, either. Nice kitty.

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“The Fallen” 4/22

A special Halloween post. This catches me up to where I’m currently writing but am still struggling with a few ideas. I always liked Halloween as a kid; the costumes more than the candy (which I suppose is why I still cosplay into my dotage) and the unofficial transition to winter. I prefer things cooler to warmer. That will undoubtedly be one of the flash points when my wife (who likes things warmer) and I move for the last time.

I have a suspicion that the next few scenes are going to be a bit odd as I work my way through this predicament Allie is in. It is thus very likely that the final form of what will be this “chapter” shall be quite different once I get this finished and edited. But, that’s why I do this: play with ideas, elicit input, and force myself on.

Yes, another reference to LotR; I cannot help myself.

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“The Fallen” 4/15

Another interlude back on the surface, seeing how the rescue effort is developing. And, boy, is it. Even so, there’s much careful planning for phase two, the drone. Recall at this moment Kira has no idea how deep the hole is or how does it end. As she says, she is assuming the best for Allie and Zhukov and planning accordingly. I have Kira reflect a little on the political changes to Earth and Mars over the last thirty years.

The play on words of “A-Hole,” A for Alicia Alvarez, came to me before Mass yesterday, so I’m assuming the pun is divinely inspired.

Because there is a lot for me to learn in this second interlude, I may be back to a MWF posting this week. Apologies.

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“The Fallen” 4/11

“Here. We. Go.” I had to take most of Sunday off from writing as I was not sure how this entire scene would play out. At one point I was revealing too much and at another made Allie look like an ingrate. Not comfortable with either, I sat on my back deck, drank wine, and waited. Finally, Monday, I think I have things sorted. This is be a busy week.

Makarovs are very nice pistols. I’ve held one but never shot it.

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“The Fallen” 4/2

Still not used to the whole single-character thing but trying to make a go at it. People who are lost are always told to “stay put and let help come to you.” But most people aren’t 4km under the Martian surface. A clever girl, but still a 15-year-old girl, Alicia thinks she should look around a bit.

Perhaps in a later interlude, I’ll have to describe what Kira might be doing by way of a rescue effort. I don’t know if they were in signal when Alicia fell, but the Midwife would surely get work started nearly instantly. Being Russian, I may just have her pick a “volunteer” and push him down the hole after her. The right thing, of course, would be to attach a sensor system run by an ES to a tiny motor and send that down to look around.

We’ll see. There may be some very odd things going on in time before all this is over. And, yes, I have to make a map of her adventures as I’m already lost.

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“The Fallen” 4/1

No, this will not be a recap of “Alice in Wonderland.” In fact, it is proving to be rather difficult: most of my stories are driven by character interaction. Once I focus in on Alicia Alvarez, alone, then there is much more exposition than I am used to.

That’s fine, I suppose. I often try to do something “different” when writing. That’s usually changing genres but in this case, I guess it will be my task to learn to write with only a single character.

Unless she meets something.

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“The Fallen” 2/10

And this is the end of part two. It would made for a fantastic scene in a movie, which was how it was shown to me.

Saras’ conflicted feelings to Les are obvious, as a girl, and complex, as they are both demis. Her question and his answer toward the conclusion put an end to whatever emotions she might have been feeling about him, besides love and respect for a senior member of the family. And, this is two Tolkien references in two segments, for those of you keeping track.

I’m getting into part three…and it’s a tangle. Unlike part one which had Eloise with “first-person thoughts,” and part two with Saras doing the same, there is no single of the three I’ve met so far who will have that. So, instead of people thinking and talking to move the story along, it’s third-person me typing all this out. It is NOT my style and I find it limiting and clunky. I’ve only about 1000 words of it so far, and one of those three characters hasn’t even wandered onstage yet, so I’m a little unclear as to how long part three will be. I do, at least, see how it keeps the overall arc toward that feral demi-girl whose image started all this foolishness.

Have a good weekend. New material on Monday. Deus vult.

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