As you know, a large purpose of this blog is to spotlight projects I’ve either completed or am working on. For my first real post, I’d like to shine a light on a novel that I have a lot of heart invested into: Children of Solus. (For a preview of the first chapter, look to the bottom of this post.)
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Children of Solus takes place on future Earth, where unexplained celestial events have razed the planet. It now lies a wasteland, ruled over by lawless thugs and warlords who fall as soon as they rise up. Twisted creatures scour the wastes, solar storms flay the flesh from hapless travelers. It’s a dark tale, but all the while there are fantastical qualities, where energy has become tangible, and emotions do more than touch the heart.
ANY CHARACTER HERE
It’s a work in progress (title art by me), still in the first draft, with the first handful of chapters available to the public here, and chapters will be regularly added (I will continue to post updates to when new chapters become available). Due to the nature of first drafts, there are bound to be errors and much of the story will undoubtedly receive face-lifts as time goes on. For now, however, feel free to dive into the world of Solus!
fdANY CHARACTER HERE
Chapter One
It was cold. Really cold.
“No way, this one’s still ticking.” A muffled voice broke the silence.
The silence… It felt fragile, like something that had been kept for a long time. Like a priceless relic that shattered as the simple phrase sounded out. But it was gone now, replaced by shuffling feet and reverberations of movement against the walls. There was a sharp hiss of air; it surrounded me, buffeting against my face and forcing me to wake up.
“It’s just a kid…” Another voice murmured.
Just a kid? A twinge of bruised pride sprung up, but confusion quickly took its place. Maybe I was just a kid. What was I exactly? A boy, a girl? fifteen-years-old, fifty? Everything was just… blank. And cold, did I mention that?
“Easy, we don’t even know if he’s stable.” A male cautioned, his tone almost scolding.
Alright, he. Nice to know.
“I know what I’m doing.” A fourth voice replied; a younger one, female, still different from the others.
Four different voices, four people. I could make out a blurred figure now, but my eyesight was terrible. Wherever I was, it wasn’t bright, but that only reduced the trauma of the entire experience and replaced it with more confusion. It felt like I had a screen over my vision …
Read the rest of chapter one (and more chapters) here!
The Sundance Press is my little corner of the web, highlighting writing tips and tricks, publishing leads, and the latest updates from H.T. Sundance. If you enjoy spaceships, six-shooters, zombies and wizards, you're in the right place! (or you're hopelessly lost)
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I can tell you either read a lot or study fiction writing, and — hey presto! You’re a writing student. I liked your intro. Good descriptions, showing, not telling, a good mix of dialogue as well as setting the scene. (I blog about writing tips, my latest: Writing tip #2: lose readers vs. grab readers http://wp.me/p1WPf3-6F).
The only thing confusing me was the positioning of the protagonist. It appeared that they were lying down? But I felt lost because I couldn’t position myself (the character) anywhere. Just a tip.
You are definitely going somewhere with this piece. Great job!
Thanks for the comment, Rebecca!
As for the “positioning” you brought out, thanks for the perspective. That’s definitely the sort of minor detail that sometimes gets lost along the journey from the writer’s mind to the final product.
The “pod stations” were aligned generally vertical, as in that the stored individual would be upright, if not leaning back slightly. As the protagonist awakes, that detail is intentionally vacant from his perception (ages of cryosleep will definitely dull the senses!), but since you brought that out, I see that that detail should have been a little bit more highlighted once he came too.
Thanks for the comment, I’ll be sure to take a look at your blog.
No worries. By even inserting a few words — like what you told me above — the reader understands and when they know where “they” are, then they have the rest of their minds to focus solely on your story, not wondering about other minute details (sheesh, readers! Such nit-picky things).
Good luck with your writing! :)
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