This May we set the WEbook community a slightly different challenge... we asked you to develop a story based on an image. But while this may seem like an easy ask, we decided to make it a little trickier by asking you to do this without utilising the obvious connotations that you would usually associate with the style of image we supplied as a writing prompt.
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| We wanted you to think outside the... um, door... so to speak... |
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| KERPOW! |
However, having said that... we had no battle over the winner! Caitlin Easter's, Blue Sky, was picked unanimously for it's brilliance as a stand alone piece and also because, man, were we desperate to read more! Hint, hint Caitlin...As per our usual monthly routine, we sat down with Caitlin and had a chat with her about her winning entry, how she came up with the idea and some other titbits.
So, without further ado...
Caitlin Easter: Blue Sky is an ancient history prequel to my ongoing
book series, The Ark of Traeadon, which takes place in our far future. Fae and
the Faerinnian (’fer-än-Ä“É™n)
race have played an important role
in my work for more than twenty years. This glimpse of ancient Fae was conceived entirely for this challenge and it was a
very satisfying giant leap back in time.
WB: When writing, where do you draw inspiration from to develop such a rich
narrative?
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| The door to the soul... |
CE: My narrative is primarily inspired
by my character’s perspective. Rather than beginning with where the story is
placed, I focus on who is there and why. I find that environs become most
tangible as fully experienced through an intricate personality. My process involves
being a character ‘medium’. I become them, one and all, internalizing who they
are at that moment and then I decide how they fit in, what they will do and reveal.
I interpret what they see, hear, smell, taste, feel and intuit. Their
distinctive personalities have insights that insist I enlist suitably unique
language. I don’t expect a reader to
necessarily care what some high-rise hallway looks like, so my goal is always
to first engage some emotional interest. I try to marry anything that I find tedious
with a suffusion of attitude. From there I build the physical environment. It
is very often peppered in later when found ‘missing’—wait, where are we?
WB: Your
story refers to hierarchy and governing bodies, was it your intention to
question power and dominance through the character Tineka who challenges the
Councillor?
CE: I took this story a bit further (3,000+ words) before
realizing the can of worms it truly is. I might write the book, but after
my current ongoing arc-line is finished. The limited continuation did reveal quite a
bit more of these characters and their relationship. The short version seriously
required imaginative extrapolation.
Rather than wax overboard here about this race, I’ll speak directly
to the question: Nope.
And now to the relationship:
Tineka is a model exception in a crowd of faereys. This is
why Atlan expects a lot and must be mindful of tolerance; her emotional ‘failings’
are quite normal. Tineka has an intelligent, independent streak, but is not
rebellious. Actually, she is soon to graduate with honors from the Diplomatic
Corps (mentored for early admission by the Orrend himself, as favor to her father,
his distant cousin). The challenging and/or
disgruntled tone of this relationship is instead mildly playful.
The stoicism that is adopted as the respectable norm for an
elder is a behavior, and so does not
necessarily authentically represent an elder’s emotional state. The tradition of
the Kron (stoicism) is employed to learn
control over the emotional upheaval that accompanies the physical change to
elder. Most have no trouble regaining a
moderate degree of most emotions, though they are usually exhibited privately.
Tineka has no intention of parading the stoic show that she deems farcical.
There is a bit of arrogance in that, sure, but she highly respects the Orrend. Her
teasing with willful spark comes from a hopeful place. She simply wishes to
encourage his hidden levity.
Typical faereys are dynamically emotional and willfully
fickle. They are curious little people and mischief often follows, but there is
not much cause for civil unrest. The faerey stage of life is, in a way, an
extended mature childhood. They do not rebel against the elder hierarchy
because it provides them with fair, socialist support and education. They are
aware of the grander opportunities that will also be afforded them in
elder-hood. At the time of this
story, although Fae was once overseen by a monarch, the royal bloodline has no preeminent
power. This council of thirteen is an executive ministry, elected to represent
each of the bloodlines equitably.
Why, yes, I think
that is some wax that got all over
the board…
WB: The
story uses powerful imagery of pollution, you mention the ‘acrid residue’ and
the ‘putrid, greenish smog’ - what does the Smog represent?
CE: The first Faerinnian home world was over populated and rendered
uninhabitable by waste and pollution. The space trekking survival mission of
this advanced race was to find and colonize New Fae. Eventually, the colonists had
been forced to settle for a star system with many passably sustainable orbs,
none of which were optimal. They’d left ruin in search of another Eden, only to find similar greenhouse
worlds. Now, for millennia they’ve been managing the gasses and mapping the
heavens for a new mission.
Given the background, obviously, the smog portrays a grim irony
of technological advancement that is not tempered with foresight for ecological
responsibility. In the ‘short’ I hoped it would serve as a symbolic parallel
for Earth, that it might remind our calling to be vigilant caretakers of our
own precious ecology.
WB: In
life, I suppose it is fair to say, that we all have something that represents
the Blue Sky in your story. What does the Blue Sky represent for you.
CE: Blue sky reminds me to be reverent. On a cosmic scale, it represents intelligent life
as one cog in natural alignment. We evolved into this intricate balance of nature, beneath this blue sky. I belong to the cycle with this precious life, right here, right now.
WB: Can
you give us a teaser as to the future of the portal - does it eventually vanish
like previous portals you mention in the story?
CE: I can promise that it lasts long enough for Atlan of
Orrend’s clandestine delegation (including Tineka, of course!) to strike a beneficial
allegiance with one spiritually and
technologically advanced society of ancient earth. The alliance educates both
cultures in potentially transformative magnitude. They discover there is a time
variance between the planes. Time always passes more slowly in Fae, though
unfortunately with no predictable relativity—which does create some trouble for
diplomatic race relations.
FINAL SPOILER: The portal itself will outlast its purpose. Tineka
and her new friend, an eminent priestess, will study the force within the gateway
threshold. They discover that the energy can be mimicked; it can be sourced from one’s own life-force. It
can be used to manifest temporary travel portals for ‘curtaining’ with one’s spark at will—a valued talent that is
still employed in the future!
Thank you, WEbook, for the interest
and for rewarding me with my first-time-ever writing win! The invitation to
talk in depth about my work is a rare and decadent indulgence. My motivation to
publish has been fully recharged!
WB: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Caitlin, we really enjoyed reading Blue Sky and look forwards to reading more of it as you post to your project page on WEbook!
As ever, we would like to thank all of our members who took the time to enter the May Challenge, well done to you all on your fantastic entries.
Don't forget that the July Challenge, How it Feels to be Free, is now open to submissions...
The WEbook Team
- 07:49
- 2 Comments
