February 2016 archive

Writing Inquiry: Update 2 & Prologue

I have written the prologue for the novel, which gives a glimpse into the plot of the story.

Prologue

Once, in the years before the Great Quake, which marks the beginning of our calendar, Cascadia was split between two great countries: Canada and the United States. These vast countries, with their governments situated in the east, became out of touch with the west coast of our continent. The representatives supposedly elected by our people became distant, unavailable to us and our problems.

Those powerful governments forced our people to endanger our natural treasures. They compelled us to watch as they brought giant ships into our ports, and loaded them with all manner of dangers to our marine life and coasts.

Our disheartened people watched in shock as one ship, its captain inexperienced in navigating our waters, hit a rock formation and broke, spilling millions of gallons of harmful oil into our waters.

We made protest to those responsible, but they did not care. Our people, dismayed by the destruction, were forced to rebuild our natural infrastructure and marine life with a tiny financial sum, entirely insufficient for the damage caused.

Later, when the Quake came among our Nation, we were affected severely, and our people were left dead, dying, and hungry.

But those powerful eastern governments blocked access to our ports, roads, and airways. They prevented aid from reaching our people, and refused to help in any way.

In doing so, they killed millions of our people.

The Ecosocialist Party, out of their pure generosity and kindness, saved us from poverty and freed us from servitude to the wicked Federal Governments of Canada and America.

Or so it’s written in our history books.

But five dozen years and then some later, Alex might learn otherwise, and it will shake up nir entire understanding of the world.

Writing Inquiry: Update 1

I have thus far forgotten to document my progress, so, here I go.

My inquiry project is to write a story which is based in a genderless society.

I’ve thus far created a government website for Cascadia, the setting for the story, which is the presentation method for my Dystopia project.

The website should explain the basics of the setting and its governmental structure and social practices, although it won’t seem very dystopian at first.

Thus far, I’ve mostly finished the characterization, although I need to create some more government figures, such as the Chancellor, and some other cabinet ministers, as well as some bureaucrats and assistants.

As for the setting, the story will start off in Victoria (in what is currently BC), about 100 years in the future, after the fabled “Big One” happens, and all anyone remembers is that both the Canadian and American governments hindered the re-building after the quake.

So Cascadia stretches from Bella Bella to Sacramento, along the Pacific coast. Most cities, destroyed by the quake, are centrally planned, and there is a new capital city, built from scratch since Liberation, called Port Shadehaven.

More details will be forthcoming.