Awful day. Cable modem has failed. Too hungover to bang wife in the AM. Cooking last turkey of the season and something’s wrong with the propane system. Kill me.
At least there’s this.
Category: science fiction
The Second Bridge, pt.5
Just before Mass tonight I let out a little laugh. Never knowing what I’m up to my wife looked me a question.
“Just saw part of a story,” I said. I’d been making correxions to the newly re-edited version of “The Fourth Law” all day, so it was a surprise to suddenly have this story break in. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to see what I did. The ironic part is that what I saw doesn’t happen until pt.6!
The Second Bridge, pt.3
This morning, I was preoccupied with thoughts about fusion reactors. At my lunch, I tried to catch up on where current tech was for their development.
As I was getting ready to leave DayJob, I realized that was stupid and that my characters were talking over drinks in a bar.
Where that went… I’d no idea. The last half of this short – who’s Tracy? – was just shown to me.
The Second Bridge, pt.2
At 1800, my wife was at the far end of the dining table looking at dishwashers on her phone. She thinks we need a new one; I think she needs to do a better job rinsing dishes before she puts them in.
Anyway.
At that time, I was staring off, wondering what to write. I kinda/sorta knew Gary was due for an appearance, but I really didn’t –
And then, in an instant, I did. Everything below the fold was there in my eyes. Creative writing is so… strange!
MachCiv Dreams – Empire’s Agent (end?)
Yes! Right where I wanted this one to go! Sometimes they show me what I’m hoping to see and this was one of those times!
A summary of my Lenten writing exercise tomorrow and likely a short stream of consciousness rant on wither next.
For those putting up with this and all the other shorts from my future history of Machine Civilization, thank you! Let’s do it more!
MachCiv Dreams – Empire’s Agent
Last night was family movie night: the Charlton Heston version of “Ben Hur.” I was pleased that my teen girls sat still and seemed to take all three hours of it in. Gen Zyklon indeed! However, as a opportune result of that I was unable to scare up time to write. Priorities: God, family, friends.
Late this afternoon at DayJob, I mentioned to Friend Tracy that I not only didn’t know what to write, I had not idea what I wasn’t going to write.
“You’ll be fine.” She tossed back. There’s a reason I love (storge) her.
Looking at dinner, leftover Hungarian chicken paprikash, I thought about that. Hungarians. The Viszegrad Group… the survival of central and eastern Europe. What would that look like in my world…?
Let’s find out.
MachCiv Dreams – Death Ship (end)
And now, having been given a glimpse of the beginning of ‘Crosses & Doublecrosses,’ and now the end of it, you might understand why I really never wanted to write the 60k words in between. Awful people.
Easter Egg in the Open: give me five LIKES and I’ll post the coda.
One week of Lent left! What to write about now?
MachCiv Dreams – Death Ship (pt.3)
Five parts. One for each day this week. That’s what I’m going to hold this to… All of this is way, way too close to home.
MachCiv Dreams – Death Ship
If this short from my never-completed ‘Crosses & Doublecrosses’ represents part of Chapter One, what I’m doing here is from the last chapter. Don’t worry about ‘spoilers!’ or anything like that: the events of ‘Death Ship’ are broadly telegraphed in my first novel, ‘The Fourth Law.’ Don’t even fret over knowing Sylvia’s dead; I actually shoot her in the prologue. How’s that for “starting your story in the middle”?
One of the reasons – and there were several – that I abandoned C&DC was the sheer awfulness of it all: the characters, the situations, the settings. Writing about misery made me miserable. Getting ready for Holy Week next week, how about a story rich in death, betrayal, and crucifixions…?
Haiku
Thinking about them:
Machine Civilization.
Fun! But exhausting.
machciv 