For a very long time, I've wanted to write. From when I was a child, in fact. I have always written. I continue to write. Sometimes it is terrible, sometimes it is good, sometimes it is engaging, other times it is boring.
But now, that I am finally starting to relax after thirteen years of working in a high stress, high anxiety environment (only just realising ten weeks after that stint of my life is over) - I am feeling like I have enough creative juice to share my writing, and to sit down and to do my writing.
Much like my declaration of intent about wanting to do an Art Exhibition in the future (I have a great deal of work already printed, and continue to work toward making new work!)
It is time to make another declaration, and show you what I have done so far toward my dream of being a writer.
While I may not get anything published formally (I have to try!) - It is the act of writing, collating, and bringing together a thematic link to all of the stories that I am going to try and tease out in this post.
Firstly, let me show you what I have done so far.
The Oak Edition
A story about a future where books are printed on paper stock from more exotic trees.
Atomic Origins
Half love story, half eulogy, half pining about the (potentially) cyclical nature of the universe.
For those that just want to read my fiction, it is being published on Substack as well, where it will be free to read for only two months before it becomes "paywalled".
It will always be free on HIVE, because.. well, I can't undo what I post on HIVE, and I like that! :) But, if you do like the work, I'd love to have comments and upvotes. Comments more so, because they provide me with feedback and encouragement to keep going.
I am also keen to read all of these stories "in my voice", so there's a paced audio version - and I commit to publishing those here, as well!
So What am I working on?
Here are a few titles:
- The Archives
A tale about a building, a computer scientist, AI, and the intersections of reality
- Floristry
A tale about a ruthless cabal of florists who organise terrorist attacks, accidents, disasters, and so on to drum up business.
- A World without Yeast
As the title suggests, exploring what a world without the Yeast bacterium would look like
- Free Will
A scientist finds irrefutable proof that the universe is deterministic, and we have no free will - how does society react?
- Evacuating Stars
Somehow, humanity has survived long enough that they must evacuate the Earth, with the sun about to become a giant. A child, watching the chaos, makes the saddening notion that this must happen to all stars
- A life valued
Meditations on how much a life is worth based on the actions that took place. A funny twist, and something a little bit more absurd
- Wed not to the Arrow
A story about a bride. She's about to kiss her husband on the altar, then from her perspective, time flows backwards. For others, she's catatonic. She's locked in, a passenger and from her perspective, her life flowing backwards is horror, as she retains the consciousness of the present, expecting to the future
I will not necessarily be writing these stories in the order presented, and they may differ and evolve conceptually as I sit (or stand) to write them.
My vision is an anthology of a dozen or more stories, an ISBN, a digital file for people to purchase, or a "very self-published" version printed on my laser printer and hand stapled.
Or maybe, some publisher somewhere, may pick up my stories.
Perhaps I am delusional about their value, but like so many people who want to make an album before they die, I want to make an anthology of stories before I die.
And there's no time like the present.
Follow me to follow the stories. :)
A lot of these stories are going to be speculative fiction, or as the kids call it, "Sci-Fi", but it is my goal to make the stories that can make you "think". My main inspiration and aspiration is for the work of feel like that of Ted Chiang.
I would like to put in my pre-order for a laser printed hand stapled signed copy when you get around to it :D
I'll try to keep up with them dropping here, brain glitches make listening hard.
It may be a few years, and I'm sure you'll still be around on my blog for it!
HEY LOOK, MUM, I MADE MY FIRST SALE!
(But I don't know what the production costs will be!) - let alone whatever modest margin I decide to impose upon my labours!
Trust me I'm used to long running projects XD
Let me know when you know whenever that may be :)
Wow, these stories look really original — I like how I can’t easily compare them to anything that already exists. The titles of the WIPs are intriguing too. I'm especially curious about the florist one — the first thing that came to mind was a dark comedy, but don’t let that influence you! I’ll definitely be listening — they sound genuinely interesting.
My father in law and I came up with that one during an evening on the drink. It will have its absurd elements, sure; but it will hopefully mostly be serious.
Like florists having a gang war or something.
Love it, looking foreword to it.
I have a lot of brain backlog and typing backlog to do, so it might be a while, I hope you'll stick around and wait
There indeed isn't. And yeah maybe you're delusional, maybe we all are. Ride that delusion ;) See where it takes you. Good luck, friend. I'm really looking forward to reading these.
Thank you! Im not sure im looking forward to writing and editing them, but I am looking forward to the sharing of them.
And the errors encountered even in a "edited" version.
All of these stories sound great, and I'm going to read the one mentioned in this post.
The ones that stand out to me is floristry, which sounds cool.
Wed not to the arrow sounds so interesting, and I think that would be an amazing exercise.
Finally, a world without yeast, what type of dystopian horrors has your mind concocted?
You've got a nice collection worked out there as a whole, and I think it will be a brilliant collection of work that has a chance to demonstrate many different writing styles.
On the surface... no beer, no bread, (no booze?) - how different would the world be?! And no genetically engineered insulin grown from yeast... Lots of no other things, but how much less diabetes would there be in a world with no bread and no booze? All stuff i need to keep thinking about.
@honeydue , @riverflows - story writing updates
Quite curious about the story about free will or lack of. In a world without free will, there would be no need to congratulate you for your determimation to make a dream come true, as it would be written in your destiny to do that. Tricky😀
Its a problematic paradox I grapple with everyday.
Ha I want to write some of these myself, particularly this one: 'A tale about a ruthless cabal of florists who organise terrorist attacks, accidents, disasters, and so on to drum up business.'
Hands off, or I'll send ya flowers, lady! </mobster accent>
Just trying to find me, Holo Pacino!