Edenfall update

So I haven’t exactly gotten into a good writing routine yet, but Edenfall is coming along pretty well.  I’m just about finished with the first chapter, and the dominoes are already starting to fall.

It’s fun to revisit the world of Genesis Earth, but I’m not going to get too bogged down in recapping the events of the first book or setting things up.  I hate it when sequels do that.  Fortunately, since the majority of this story is going to be from a new character’s point of view (Michael and Terra’s oldest daughter), I don’t really have to do that, except to lampshade some of the worldbuilding.

One thing I need to do is get more in the mood of the first book, which was a lot more introspective and big-picture than my other science fiction.  To do that, I found an excellent collection of videos called The Sagan Series.  Here is my favorite:

Man, I get shivers every time I watch that. “Sailors on a becalmed sea…”

Another good video is this one from The Piano Guys:

I know it says “Southern Utah,” but you could substitute that for “Icaria” and it wouldn’t be that far off.  In particular, the night clip from the bottom of the slot canyon at 2:05 looks like something straight out of Genesis Earth.  Throw in some primitive natives, a few giant lizards and various avians and insectoids, and you’re pretty much there.

I’m still adjusting to writing in longhand, but so far I think it’s going to work out well.  Because the writing process itself is much slower, it’s much more time intensive but surprisingly easy to jump in and get started.  Once I’ve got some momentum going, I think the story will practically write itself.

I do have a confession to make, though.  A couple days ago, I had an idea for another science fiction story that was just so awesome I decided to run with it.  At first, I thought I could keep it down to a short story, or perhaps a novella at most, but…well, I think it’s going to be a bit longer than that.

Don’t worry: Edenfall is still my primary project, and if juggling them both becomes too difficult (which it probably will), I’ll put this new one on the back burner until Edenfall is finished.  It’s kind of a guilty pleasure anyways, a sci-fi romance that draws heavily on tropes from old westerns (Jeremiah Johnson in particular).  I have no idea where it’s going to go (well, nothing more than a vague idea about the twist at the end), but that just makes it all the more exciting to write.

So anyhow, that’s what I’ve been up to these last few days.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to writing.  See you around!