This year, I'm participating in the E is for Emma
...well, maybe.
I know, that's a weird way to start a post, but since this book is in-progress, there are a bunch of decisions that I'm still working out. In this case, I haven't decided if I want this character to be Emma, in which case she'd be the daughter of a British Civil Service official, living with her family in India around 1890; or if I want her to be Padma, in which case she'd be an Indian-American corporate lawyer living in New York City in the very near future, around 2050. I do know that the other soul, no matter when this takes place, is going to be an incarnation of the Hindu goddess Durga. That will be the fun part :)
These are the problems you encounter when you're writing a book about the different lifetimes of two souls - too many damn possibilities.
Really, though, I haven't been thinking about this in terms of characters: I've been trying to figure out if I'd rather tackle researching the British rule of India in the 1890s, and deal with all of the subsequent racial tensions and cultural questions and historical accuracy problems, or if I'd rather tackle writing science fiction. See, if the Emma (we'll call her that for now) character lives in NYC in the near future, then I'll be forced to bump another lifetime further into the future.
Every sci-fi writer reading this right now is probably thinking, "SO?! Why the heck wouldn't you do that??" The answer, alas, is that while I read science fiction, I've never written it. Not even a little short story here or there. And...the science part scares the you-know-what outta me. So this one is still up in the air for now.
I am also a science-fiction newbie! I wanted to write a story in the science-fiction genre, so I started reading "The Elegant Universe." Five pages in, I dusted my hands and said, "Nope. A bit too intelligent for this simple soul."
ReplyDeleteSounds like the possibilities for you *are* quite endless, Liz--but that's the mark of a great writer: the ability to make anything, well, possible!!
I can imagine your walls are covered in notecards with all kinds of strings running between them to keep it all straight. :P
ReplyDeleteI know you love research and I've read a few things about colonial India. Sounds complicated but you can tackle it.
ReplyDeleteMy books have always been set in the present, so I can't help you there. But it does open possibilities you can never have in contemporary fiction. Have you tried Scrivener? I've heard it helps keep everything straight, but I've never tried it.
ReplyDeleteCharacter naming can be tricky, though I'm sure Emma was a common name around that time. I like it. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like lots of research and hard work. Good Luck Liz!
ReplyDeleteTwo very different characters!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine writing anything based on our history. So much research...
I'm sure once you start with one character or another it will either feel right or not...I'm sure it will turn out wonderful regardless.
ReplyDeleteI say go for the time period. It will be funner, and you'll be smarter once you get done. Who was it that said do something that scares you every day? =)
ReplyDeleteI'm leaning towards Emma since a Hindu goddess in the body of a colonial in India is rife with conflict. Just my two cents! Go, Liz!!
ReplyDeleteI'm like you; I'll read science fiction (now and then) but I don't write it. I probably *could* but I don't feel driven to. And I feel like one should never write something one isn't really passionate about.
ReplyDeleteEmma is a good name. I'd go for it.
ReplyDeleteI'd pick the future, but of course that's my thing :). You'll have to figure out which world is the best one for your story.
ReplyDeleteYou are attempting something wonderful and either way I am certain you will do well. Even creating it and finishing it is a true accomplishment. let's see where Emma will go
ReplyDeleteEither way, I think the story will be great!
ReplyDeleteThe character sounds awesome to me whether she turns out to be Emma or Padma.
ReplyDeleteI love research, and it sounds like you're working hard on it. The character sounds interesting.
ReplyDelete~ Kim
Wow. Sounds like a pretty complicated novel :)
ReplyDeleteI love the thought of your character coming from the future but I also love the name Emma. But, what I love even more, is that you're still in the planning process. Fun!!!
ReplyDeleteElsie
AJ's wHooligan in the A-Z Challenge
Science fiction may require research and technical forward-thinking, but speculative fiction, on the other hand... Just go ahead and speculate. The future can be whatever you want it to be.
ReplyDeleteSo much possibility!!
ReplyDeleteHow about both - they can be out of time twins. The best thing about sci-fi is messing with reality. Go for it.
ReplyDeleteYou could try going with both. Durga could be incarnated twice, right? Then Emma from the past and Padma of the future could both have their love affair. And don't stress too much about the science part of fiction. Write what you think is interesting, and then find a science buff to be your beta-reader and ask if what you've cooked up could actually happen. They can probably tell you what doesn't work and why, and maybe even suggest an alternative. Someone like Meradeth Houston.
ReplyDeleteYour novel is getting more interesting by the day with all these characters. Waiting to read more!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds exciting, whatever you decide to do. Perhaps you never know you may end up with two very different stories from the one idea, both of which are brilliant. I've had that happen before. :) Well the two stories from the one idea, if not the brilliance at any rate lol.
ReplyDeleteYour WIP sounds so interesting! I love the many possibilities it could take. Both sound exciting. I could see keeping one (her life from the past) as a sort of alternate life or '"ghost" in her life and the other (her life in the future) as the work begins. I don't even write sci-fi but I enjoy a challenge:)
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