My Creative Writing--Continuation
I've decided to broaden the mission of this "official" blog. I started it mainly to focus on libraries when I was getting my MLIS and shifted it to include teaching and general academia. I'm going to shift it again to include more of my personal views and updates on my original creative writing and sci fi/fantasy organization, StarMerrow.

What I won't include here is, broadly speaking, my "fannish" interests, unless they cross over with academia/criticism. There will be some X-posting between this and my more fannish journal, so apologies to those who have friended both.

On that note, writing the Continuation universe, shipped from t'other journal:

I have resolved that life is too short to spend it writing things I don’t want to write. No more guilt about dropping projects/stories halfway. One of the things I do want to write at some point is Ghanior’s story. He’s been one of my favorites of my original characters forever, but I’ve never gotten down anything about him beyond real juvenalia (the short novel I wrote when I was about 20-22--it’s crap).

I’m not sure where to go with his story, though, so I’m going to ramble about it under the cut.


Painfully short summary: Ghanior comes from a couple of generations after my novel, Perdita, and is one of the pioneer's of travel-via-thought through the dimension of Jana. He expatriates from his home planet, Perdita, and becomes a loyal Ashtorian citizen and introduces Jana (and its power) to the Ashtorians. Meanwhile, he must come to grips with the fact that Ashtor is a rather oppressive empire and try to work out his relationship with his son, whom he doesn't really know the lad is a teenager.

What makes a compelling story (if you're me)? Answer: compelling characters in interesting, emotionally intense relationships--or dialogism, in short. Here's problem one with Ghanior: I don't really have a good setup for bouncing him off really interesting character(s). Some major possibilities are:

Kedren (his son):
Pros: Good plot, plausible father-son tension, love-hate relationship (Kirk and David), excellent opportunity for Ghanior to learn about himself and acquire lots of guilt.
Cons: Kedren himself isn't (yet) very well developed. He's a bit perfect. He also only there for a few years out of Ghanior's rather long story trajectory.

Rah'yem (the woman he falls in love with who dies):
Pros: Relatable plot; she's the sort of stable "good Ashtorian" he would fall for.
Cons: She's a weak character, very standard good, strong, stable military commander chick with a few "details" but no real interesting, dynamic personality. I'm inclined to think she works best as backstory.

'Eblia (the woman he eventually ends up with):
Pros: She's a good character! She's as real in my mind as he is and definitely has her own life, quirks, story, etc.
Cons: To date, their story is more "sweet" than "passionate." I originally developed it as a footnote on Ghanior's life, a latter-day example of his putting his life together after learning his lessons, which means that most of the interesting plot stuff happens before he meets her--and must for their relationship to work.

Sorquel (a peer from the Perdita days of G's youth):
Pros: He has the potential to be a "winner" as a character: he's dark, disturbed, passionate, and has a thing for Ghanior.
Cons: Plotwise, their stories almost never cross--only a bit when they're teens and not in a way that's very plot-relevant then. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get them into the same story without creating mush.

My Current Thoughts:

Ghanior's story can be divided up into three main timelines:
1) Early Jana exploration on Perdita
2) The Ashtorian saga
3) The "footnote" story where 'Eblia is introduced

Number 1 could make a good generic story: brilliant teens dealing with adolescence while learning to wield awesome power, etc. Trouble is a) it has no natural ending point in itself; it's just their youth and b) I'm not that jazzed about writing it.

Number 2 would be the well-structured plot with drab characters IF it didn't also suffer under the burden of needing all of Number 1 to already exist in order for its beginning to make any sense.

Number 3 is not well worked out in my head. It involves a bunch of people, mostly Jana Walkers, being stranded on a planet owing to some sort of Jana scheme and having to go on a (literal, on-foot) journey together in order to resolve that scheme. It's got a potentially interesting cast of characters and, for all that it promises much confusion and difficult plotting, I feel it's the one I should probably work on, with the prior 2 as backstory.

Good points about working with Number 3:

* 'Eblia!
* Chianové, who is just another good character ('Eblia's professional partner). (He's also set to figure in my web show, so there's crossover/marketing potential there.)
* Sorquel... In my very original trip through this story, a main antagonist was a protege of Sorquel's, and it's the only place I can think of where S might fit. I don't know how, but I have a feeling he might.
* Daven--Now, this is a new thought. Daven has traditionally been a young Walker who is briefly 'Eblia's lover before she and Ghanior get together. It might, however, be possible to push him in the direction of being a sort of metaphor/foil for Kedren, a catalyst for Ghanior to relive his problems with his son. Daven is about the age Kedren was when he died.

Wildcards:

As if in immediate testament to the fact that I can't do any plot that's simple, I think this plot may require the delineation of three "sides":

1) Our heroes, trying to preserve access to Jana as it has been.
2) The Pey, trying to limit access to Jana.
3) "Sorquel's side," which, like the Pey, is immersed in Jana yet would not have any particular investment in supporting the Pey. They might represent Jana Dwellers (those who live entirely within Jana). What would their agenda be? Might they be on our heroes' side sort of, without our heroes knowing it? And why? (Would the Pey be keeping them in, as well as keeping the Walkers out?)

* Shesen (one of Ghanior's fellow pioneer Walkers): "Historically," he is very, very, very important: he is the virtuoso Walker, the genius. In Ender's Game terms, he's Ender. But the more I develop this story, the less he actually has to do. One of his major traditional functions has been to resolve Sorquel's situation (getting lost in Jana). In the "footnote" story, his son, Tanez, has traditionally been a character, but I'm thinking I should nix the son and Sorquel's protege, and include Shesen and Sorquel among the main characters.

(I'm losing all my women. I've got 'Eblia and Nyra, who is their "native guide." At this point, I'm acquiring so many major male characters that introducing more women might just overcomplicate the plot, but....

Laran [another of the pioneers] hovers in the background as an antagonist, not sure how to incorporate her meaningfully, emotionally.)

So let's say we've got people stuck on this planet:
Ghanior, Shesen, 'Eblia, Chianové, Nyra, Daven

People keeping them there:
Laran, Laran's daughter and son (Asoiya and Mei)

People of ambiguous affiliation:
Sorquel

I feel like I should introduce Elleen (another pioneer) because a) she's a good character, b) it rounds out the major pioneers, and c) another important woman. Not sure how to fit her structurally though.

Random character/relationship idea: Elleen in her youth had a thing for Ghanior [lots of people do: he's sexy but makes a very bad object of desire]. However, she's always been closer to Shesen; they're a primary pairing in a non-sexual sense. Though sexual tension has floated around, he's typically been married to someone else (a flat character, unfortunately--maybe I can kill her and have Sh. be a widower). Having them all together again might be an opportunity to resolve old issues and finally get Ghanior with 'Eblia and Elleen with Shesen... though I'm starting to sense plotlines wrapped up in neat bows, and I hate that.

Not sure what Daven's plot importance is (beyond being E's bf and Ghanior's son metaphor). He'd have to be truly brilliant/important to be stranded with all these important folks. Idea (nasty one): Traditionally, the planet they're stuck on (Nyrirla) has been in the grips of a plague. I could have Daven get it and die, causing Ghanior to have to relive his son's death... (Need a reason for the rest to survive.)

I also need a reason for the singling out of 'Eblia (not a Walker) and Chianové, who are spies. They'd have to be on the trail of something.

Anyway, I'm tired now, and this is a backburner project, but I think some interesting ideas are emerging. Comments/questions welcome.