Back on the train

Author Cameron Kielb

— It’s rather disorienting when you finish off a story (not to mention a full series) and proceed to the next. All that work; the descriptions, personas, background information, everything! The details of The Kingdom remain in my head. They didn’t just disappear when I typed, ‘The End’. Voice is a big one— I find the voice of my previous characters trying to come out in my new work. But Arthur (the character I’m working on) is not Mox.

I think acknowledgment of this from an author’s mind is necessary to help move on. True and practiced mindfulness has a way of catching a lot more than we realize. In addition, creating and falling back on outlines and character maps also becomes a great asset. I’ll post a separate blog about my experience with outlining, character mapping, and planning in general, but bottom line— it is important!

Now it’s time to get back on the train. I’ve created my outline and hard as it is to leave the last station behind, the best part is in front of me back- writing. Word count goals are back in action. Let’s see where the tracks take us this time! 😀

Author Cameron Kielb

Eternal Affairs

A science-fiction flash story by Author Cameron Kielb

 “Oh! Not again…”
Horus analyzed the world under his watch, ‘Neruj’. For more than a millennia he had done his best to help preserve this planet. Ironically, in all that time, just once had the need for intervention been external. A large asteroid from the Gynus galaxy had taken a direct line for Neruj. Horus had briefly wondered if it had, in fact, been purposely cast by one of his competitors— probably Xan! He had no proof of that and wasn’t about to cast such wild accusation to The Creator who was known to rule with an iron fist.
Supposedly, a snap of his strong iron fingers and, poof! You were gone and replaced by another competitor hoping to gain access to the upper rank.

It was funny, he mused. Most of the people living on his land would’ve thought there be no higher position as ‘God’ of a planet. To be immortal and live forever… what an idea.
What they didn’t consider is that a social hierarchy existed, even among the Gods and that only the lowest class had been tasked the mundane job of a planet overseer.

There was hope, though. In a contest between all the overseers, there was a promise that whichever God’s planet thrived the most at the end of a century would win acceptance to the upper class.
The problem… his people were idiots. It seemed they only thrived on destruction. Constant violence. Not just wars between nations either! Blood seemed to spill from every corner of the globe.
And if that didn’t kill them, their ridiculous upkeep of the planet would. He watched, incredulously, as so many strived to keep their personal homes tidy and clean yet what of their ultimate home? It was almost laughable. Maybe The Creator liked a good comedy… probably not. Without radical change he knew he was destined to watch the planets wicked affairs for all of eternity.
Thinking of The Creator, what would he do? Wipe the planet clean, of course. Start from scratch, again. And perhaps he should. But one thing had prevented Horus… a small whisper among his people, maybe, but possibly enough. It didn’t take much for a whisper to magnify to a shout.
Fool!
It could also be snuffed out like a flickering flame. Sucked into a vacuum, never to be heard again.
Horus sighed. He’d give them just a little longer. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to start over again.

Thanks for reading! Flash fiction and short stories, though perhaps unsettling, are an awesome ways to flex our creative muscles with a new idea and try stuff out without committing to a large scale project. In fact, it’s how I came up with the story I’m currently writing- ‘The Masked Assassins’. Just coming off finishing The Kingdom series, my new book is at the early stages but I’m excited with the outline I’ve drafted up and am eager to dive into exploring my new world.

Who knows– perhaps an intergalactic war between lowly Gods is up next in the queue. Hmmm…

Unity came out yesterday and I’m so excited about it! If you haven’t already, check out my website for information about the series including a link to get book one and two bundled together.

Feel free to leave any comments or hit me up with questions!

Author Cameron Kielb