Much better now. My wife made the astute observation: “this is going to kill you.”
Of course it will! But I rather die in a weltering of my stories than a drugged plant in front of the teevee, shoveling cheesy-puffs into my mouth.
Below, originally from my second novel, Echoes of Family Lost, are two now very old friends talking shop.
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!
After last night I knew I had to get back to writing or I’d die. Considered various ideas throughout the workday. Just after 1700, when I was cleaning the isolation hood, the roar of its motor must have mixed with the chemicals in the Cavicide wipes to let me see something. Not a lot of detail but certainly a week’s or more worth of story. I’d been thinking about Faustina, however by lunch I’d come to know I didn’t know her well enough to tell her story.
For Gary and Henge, though, I’d already laid down two big markers: one in “Echoes of Family Lost” and another in ‘Worlds Without End.’ I’ll be picking them up now. This is, I think, going to be a great deal of fun!
This may seem shorter than usual, but when you only need to write dialog, as in a play, it tends to keep your word count down.
PS I came up with the title after writing all this. It derives from something Ai said late in “The Fourth Law.” In doing so, I may have been given a glimpse of Faustina’s story. Apologies to Cornelius Ryan in advance.
This has been a fun and interesting forty days. I’d no firm plan as to what I’d write, only that I would. With a few exceptions of illness or exhaustion, I think I did not do too badly:
I began with the otherwise untitled MCD1: a look at a minor character from “Cursed Hearts” and taking place just a few days after that book’s close. Lots of interesting things going on, but I was, at the time, eager to move on.
MCD2 later became ‘Worlds Without End,’ so we’ll look to it later.
From my never-completed novel, “Crosses & Doublecrosses,” came what was essentially its first chapter. Ironically, about three weeks later I’d write the last chapter in ‘Death Ship.’ I wonder if I’ll ever write the middle?
MCD4 was based on notes from a short I wrote last year. It was my first time playing in another’s sandbox and later developed into the multi-part ‘Abandoned Factory.’
At this point I was hitting my stride and that stride was getting longer. I let go any pretention of one-shots and turned to a episodic format. The first of those was ‘Pine Bluff,’ so named for the town in Arkansas. This was a chapter I cut from “Echoes of Family Lost” as it didn’t advance the plot, only giving some closure to an event from “The Fourth Law.”
Following a day off, I let loose with ‘Abandoned Factory.’ This was just a little too much fun, playing in someone else’s place. Had I not reined myself in, this would have been the rest of Lent. The main character is one of the leads from “Cursed Hearts.” She had a moment of grace in the final scene of that book and so goes to Purgatory rather than placing herself into Hell. A secondary character, Nike, has a mysterious role to place in my soon to released new novel, formerly known as “Defiant.”
It was Lent and supposedly being Catholic I wanted a bit more faith in the mix, so I decided to check in on Gary and Henge (from “Echoes of Family Lost”) but nine years after that book closes. I was happy to find those two still in love and – now that Gary’s a teen and Henge ‘updates’ her form – them beginning to show that physically. More interestingly was Faustina, Gary’s little sister. A wonderfully headstrong but very flawed girl. I know we’ll be seeing more of her in the future! Also: a guest appearance by Pope Pius XIII!
From almost ten years in my world’s future to just before the opening of “The Fourth Law:” a story about creation. Of Ai and her family. A sense of wonder and potential suffuse this short story.
With pre-history on my mind, I moved from Tohsaka Corporation to Somi Company, in Osaka. Just before leaving her homeland on a potentially one-way mission, Nichole 5 Clarke ditches her handler and wants to be a Tokyo Girl for a day! She ends the night with a very special friend.
Hearkening back to MCD3 and “C&DC”‘s beginning. I wrote what I saw about the end: how Clive Barrett – with subtle help from Ai’s older brother – tries to clean up the awful mess he created that is The Extraordinary Commission for the Preservation of the Republic; also known as ExComm.
After that carnage, with the end of Lent in sight, I wanted to do something that, if not exactly ‘happy-fun!’ at least wasn’t dark and depressing. I moved forward in time again… about three years after “Echoes…” The government of the central European Empire wants to know more about Ai and her family. They dispatch one of their men to central Texas to see who this Barrett woman is and why is she so important. Told from his point of view, the last part of the final installment was a surprise to me, too: I didn’t see what would happen to Lily at all. They amaze me.
One thing I didn’t consciously do was to place every story in my future history of Machine Civilization; I don’t always: ‘Pirate Twins,’ for instance. As it turned out, I’ve created ten new windows into that world, making it broader and deeper. Pulling up the word count, MC is broader and deeper by 36,023 words. Wow. I’d guesstimated at just over 22k. Not bad, if I do say so, myself.
I hope y’all had at least as much reading them as I have making them! Glory to God in the highest! Happy Easter, everyone! He Is Risen!
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!
So much for my attempt at a less than 1k micro-story. Blew through that by over 700 words.
Screw it: tomorrow y’all get an haiku!
*See what I did there?
Yesterday’s impression – and I don’t do impressions – was correct: the eighth installment was a good place to stop. However, I’d already written most of this last, and did not want it to go to waste. I’ve even seen a little beyond it, one of the dangers of writing, but Gary & Henge’s micro-story is at a close. For now. The coda, below, features Faustina, who, sooner than later, will have her own book.
What’s – or rather – who’s next in my Machine Civilization Dreams series…?
Writing this, I thought at the time is was the last installment. Late last night, more drunk than normal, I saw a little more about Faustina. Looking at what my then-self wrote, I’m not entirely thrilled with it. After I post this, I’m going to see if they allow me to ‘soften’ what I wrote.
She’s still going to be fundamentally good, but what eight year-old, who can move effortlessly between the machine’s home and ours wouldn’t end up a little disturbed or drunk on power? Anyway: plan on the curtain coming down on WWE on or about installment #10.
Let’s wrap up the Pope’s visit!
Gary may think that Henge has learned a little subtlety from her father, but when it comes to getting what she wants… maybe not. In the fallout of the wedding of their friend Susie, Henge unearths a problem and wants it fixed. Now. By an expert. So here’s installment seven that, along with eight, has a special guest!
Mmmm… stir-fried southwest chicken for burritos! Spanish rice… refried beans! Things I don’t eat on my low-carb lifestyle. If I drank less, I could eat worse…
Not happening.
Besides what’s on the table, Gary recalls the taste of his Intended and what is perhaps a bitter taste of his future…?
machciv 