I came up with a possible plot summary for Earthcrosser over the weekend. I thought I'd run it by all you wonderfully creative, perceptive, amazing people and see what you thought. I've put it in the comment section so as not to clog the blog.
SOME TIME LATER- Only twenty four hours and now I have a completely different story line in mind from the one I posted! As a chronic multi-drafter, I've never tried to come up with a plot beforehand before. I just build a setting, create some characters, then let them loose and see what they do. I'm trying something new by getting my story in mind before I take off. This is hard for me because I'm just itching to write chapter 2, but always in the past I've spent about 100 pages meandering around before I get to the story, and I want to see if I can skip that stage this time.
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Fifty years after the apocalypse, Nathan and his grandfather discover an abandoned underground rocket launching facility. They find a journal kept by a graduate student who had been the only occupant of the facility when the apocalypse hit, but who has since disappeared. The journal explains that the rocket is meant to intercept an earth-crossing asteroid and modify its orbit. Otherwise, said asteroid will smack the earth, alter atmospheric pressure and composition, and destroy most macroscopic organisms on the planet. The launch window for this rocket will close about two weeks after Nathan and Grandpa discover the facility. The rocket will not launch automatically, someone has to "push the button."
After they return home, Nathan's family radios the government, which is small, ill-equipped, understaffed, and far, far away. They say, "Don't touch anything, we'll get back to you."
Nathan continues to read the journal, growing increasingly anxious about the situation. A few days later the journal is discovered by some other families in the community. They don't read and understand the whole thing, only the part about the fact that there is a well stocked bunker with food, fuel, valuable equipment, medicine, and all sorts of goodies somewhere in the valley. Angry that Nathan's family has kept this information to themselves, there is a tense confrontation. Nathan's family attempts to explain the situation, but the others are not satisfied. Everyone agrees to go home and cool off and talk about it later. After the discussion, Nathan is afraid that now that the word is out, someone will loot the facility, making it impossible to fire the rocket.
Taking the initiative, Nathan sneaks off to the underground rocket silo, intending to fire off the rocket before it is too late. When he arrives he discovers that someone has already stolen the diesel fuel for the electric generator, making launch impossible.
Fortunately, the thieves have just left. Nathan spots them hiking out of the valley, then radios his dad for help. He trails the thieves, staying out of sight and guiding the posse from the settlement. After some tense moments, the thieves are caught and the fuel recovered.
Finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, the people of the settlement decide to launch the rocket. After averting some mechanical failures and tense moments, the launch is a success. A fast-forward to twenty years later finds Nathan and the rest of a continually recovering society watching as the deadly asteroid passes harmlessly by.
PROBLEMS I HAVE WITH THIS SCENARIO:
1. The journal seems like a cheap trick. It might be better if Nathan has to work harder to figure out what the facility is for.
2. The story may be too focused on the adults in the community and their decisions.
STUFF I LIKE:
1. There's a nice twist, when you think Nathan is going to go fire off the rocket all by himself, but then it turns out to be TOO LATE ALREADY! (Oh, I am so mean to my characters, hee hee)
How about replacing the journal with the grad student who is still around but is now insane - tension on whether he's just talking crazy or whether the missile is really what he says it is.
Maybe they're not sure if any government remains, and they go off to find out.
Nathan does stuff in your plot, but what's his character arc? Does he learn, grow, or sacrifice?
I like what Andy said about keeping the grad student alive. The only problem with that scenario is that it will be harder to write. You're probably up to it, but you will have to be careful to walk the line between the grad student's mental clarity and his/her supposed insanity. I like the tension of the other families wanting things for themselves and the way everyone is trying to survive. I like the ineffective government far away, but I wonder if there wouldn't be local governments as well. Are there any telescopes still in operation? Any astronomers? Did you change from 100 years to 50 years to give it more immediacy? Whatever you do, keep writing. I want to see the end of this story.
Andy, you hit on one of my problems with the current scenario. I thought that it could be a story about trust- Nathan has some conflicting messages to sort through and he has to decide whom to trust. At one point he decides to trust the journal over everyone else, but then in the end discovers that he can trust his family and his community as well (the thieves, by the way, are wandering junk collectors, not people from the valley).
It could work, but I kind of want something MORE. I'll keep thinking.
I love the bit about everyone just trying to survive and the idea of a crazy elderly grad student. From what we've read, the government seems like it will have to be ineffectual, so there's a good build up for that.
However, I have a hard time with the point of the rocket being to destroy an asteroid. I've seen it done badly way too many times in movies and just hearing about a rocket to destroy an asteroid pretty much makes me cringe. Sorry. But other than that, I like your ideas.
Yes, it has been done badly. That's why I want to try and do it well.
I would rather not have an insane person in the bunker. Why would he stay down there for fifty years, eating MRE's, when he could go up to the surface any time?
Minor quibbles but ... a living person wouldn't be some grad student - it would have to be a member of the military, probably Air Force. Yes, he/she would stay underground eating MREs for years. (Remember those Japanese soldiers stranded on remote islands who thought the war was still on 40 years later?)
Alternative is that all military stuff has technical manuals or procedure manuals. These were all re-written in the 1970s to downgrade the language from 8th grade to 6th grade, which makes it more plausible that Nathan could figure them out by himself. The emergency power source for the missile would be more likely to be a battery or capacitor of some sort. Fuel turns to jelly if it is stored for years.
Thanks, Chris, but this isn't a military facility. It is a scientific one.
I've just learned there is a lot of geothermal activity in Valles Caldera, where this is set. I think we can probably power the facility with that.
So CAN I GET A VOTE? How many of you are put off by the idea of an earth-smacking asteroid? Has it been overdone already?
I've been turning this thread over and over and trying to think of what to say ...
And what keeps coming back to me is: this story may benefit in having a twist.
All of the elements are pretty much 'stock' so far:
*a journal that sheds some light
*(Or a key character that knows)
*a rocket to intercept something
*a post-apocalyptic society
*a curious boy who stumbles onto it all
What if one of these things seemed in its 'usual place' to the reader, but really isn't? What if there's something about it all that we're taking for granted?
This brings to mind a story Ray Bradbury spoke of at a BYU Forum (ages ago, now...)
It was about an astronaut who is sent forward in time in an experimental, first-of-its-kind mission to see what the future holds--as society on Earth seems plummeting towards certain doom.
The astronaut returns and tells his account of what he saw some 75 years in the future: Cancer's been cured, world hunger has been vanquished, world peace is achieved...
And so, all these wonderful things are published and broadcast throughout the world. There is some hope for humankind, after all.
Seventy-five years later, the aged astronaut and the scientists of the day all gather to watch the historic time paradox of seeing the astronaut 'arrive' in what was once the future.
It's a great, celebratory day, because all that the time-traveller spoke of has been achieved (cancer cured, no world hunger, world peace, etc.)in the time since his visit to the future.
When the moment comes where the space capsule is to arrive...
Nothing.
No spaceship. No landing. No time-travelling astronaut.
As the scientists buzz amongst themselves and try to understand what's gone wrong, the astronaut lets them all know the secret he's kept for the past 75 years:
The mission failed and he never was able to time-travel forward.
But, the scientists are baffled. what about all the wonderful things he said that he saw? They've all come to pass... His answer:
"I lied."
************
Not to draw away from your story and plot-planning, but I wonder if there is a twist that could be added to something in the existing elements...something we don't expect.
Of course, if none of this is helpful at all, just ignore it :D
I've got a much different, far more sinister plot going on now. I hated that journal idea, it's dead. The facility runs on geothermal power now. The asteroid is not the main point of the plot anymore. It is a driving issue, but not the focus of the story.
...sinister is good!
:D
Ooh! Sinister is very good! And now I'm interested to know exactly what your focus is now. I'm intrigued... I hope you'll send it all to us when you get a chance. Good luck!
Had fun today researching missile silos and rocket fuel. Did you know a Titan I missile facility could house 120 people underground for 30 days?
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