This is Lorenzo Samuel's Advice Blog, which I'm sharing with you. In addition to an author of speculative fiction writings, I have also dedicated myself to helping writers and readers write better and read more effectively.
In a previous blog, I laid the background and relationships between females and males in protagonist Fehla's life and mission. I told you how Part 1 of the novella "Mother Eve" would progress, then gave you this promise: "In the next issue of Story News, I expect to have completed the guts of Part 1 and tell you how I did it and the result thereof."
Well, I have completed the guts of Part 1. It is ready for fine tuning. In other words, it is nearly done. It runs about 16,000 words. It's title is "Mother Eve: Leaving Home." Basically, I wrote the story as a pantser. The word comes from “fly by the seat of their pants.” It implies minimal plotting out the story. In reality, pantsers do plot. They simply do it as they write the story.
Here is a summary of the story: We are introduced to Fehla and her family, her chitter and husband and her two daughters, both of whom are hugely talented and will become Fehla's reach into the future.
A reader will get the idea that Fehla is dedicated to the future. Her reach is extremely real to her. The future has more importance to her than the present. Thus, when news that the astronomical scientists have issued a warning to the 5 planets in her federation that their much-loved binary suns for the system will undergo a catastrophe sometime in the next 10,000 years impinges on her like the death of a favorite parent might to us. Her line to the future will be cut. Most likely she will not live to see this happen; however, that's not the point. She feels as if the disaster is happening now. That is the inciting incident of the story. Fehla must confront this and return her family and race to a normal state.
Others are affected of course. Just as in any disaster on earth, certain of the race will try to turn it to their advantage. The race used to be peaceful, and crime was rare. Then a comet tore apart the magnetic fabric of the 5 planets. Some of the race turned evil and thieved and killed. The race's code changed, and a 100 years passed until crime was at a tolerable limit. The news of the impending disaster of the 2 suns caused a certain segment of the race to revert to criminality. This segment was the marauders, degraded chitters who took advantage of the low morale of the populace about the lack of a future.
Fehla's husband was murdered in a attack of their family by the marauders. The females were taken into captivity. Fehla became a pleasure slave. The youngest girl tried to protect her mother and was murdered for it in front of her. Fehla lost her mind. She didn't recognize the other daughter until that daughter saved her from death at the hands of a marauder. It was a miracle that brought Fehla's mind back to her and changed the attitude of her captors in her favor.
She and her daughter negotiated their freedom by offering to steal something of value to the marauders. This turned out to be the plans to the imperial palace. Fehla placed the daughter in safe keeping and did steal the plans. However, she was pursued into the slums by palace guards who nearly caught her. But she escaped them.
Never having stolen anything, she had to figure out how to exchange such that her theft of the plans was nullified. It turned out that this would require returning the plans as that would be a good exchange for the grief she had caused by stealing them. In other words, she figured the joy of their return would trump the despair of their theft. She was naive, for when she did this, she was arrested and sent to prison.
There were interested parties watching her prison experience, particularly attempts to reeducated her. She stood up to all the reeducation methods thrown at her, including torture. When she was released, officials recruited her, due to her high flexibility and intention levels, to lead a mission into the dark field, which was supported by packets of nothing formed during the Big Bang.
More happened, but the result was that she went on the trip. The climax was that in doing this she would become nothing for that would be the only way to go from her place and time to another place and time. The goal was to lead the way to a new place and time for her race.
The next blog will post on or around Dec. 1.
Note: You can pick up your own copy of “Eve of Valor: 25 Tales” by clicking here.
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