8/19/2022
Disclaimer: There will be typos probably, I’m typing fast and just letting my mind go crazy.
Welcome to the seventh entry of my blog where I discuss the development of the story I’m currently writing, Saviors of Novus. These entries are a place for me to ramble on about the details of my story, and also so I can sort of vent my creativity without having to worry about sentence structure and other aspects of writing a well thought out story. Simply put, I sometimes need to write without thinking, if that makes any sense.
Its been a long time since I’ve written one of these, but I’m still going strong and making progress every week. In short, I’ve been busy with work, friends, and family this summer. While my writing usually does slow down during the summer, it always picks up drastically in the winter as I make more time for it then.
In this entry, I would like to focus on space battles within my story, and how I will incorporate and design them.
Writing about epic battles in space may be the longest writing dream I have. Ever since I became enthralled with Star Wars and Star Trek as a kid, I’ve always wanted to create my own conflicts within the orbits of planets and stars. When I first thought of this story back in 2013, I imagined a battle taking place similar to the one in the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith. Now in 2022, I have a much different idea; one I’m very thankful for since my original wouldn’t be all that practical or “realistic.” I was only a senior in high school at the time, with absolutely no story writing experience or knowledge, just dreams.
Over the years, my concepts grew and changed as I consumed other forms of sci-fi media. When I first watched through The Expanse it all came together. It opened my eyes to the reality of space combat in the “near” future. I also became familiar with how submarine stories and scenarios can influence and inspire writers when exploring combat in space. Submarines are very similar to spacecraft in many ways. They both preserve their crews from hazardous environments, and any breach in the hull can potentially be fatal. There are plenty more similarities between the two, but I think you get the point. The Hunt for Red October is one of my favorite movies, I intend to read the book soon as well, which I should’ve done many years ago by now. That and The Expanse will be heavy influencers for space battles in Saviors of Novus.
So, what will my space battles actually be like then? In Saviors of Novus, wars will not be fought by huge opposing fleets of ships engaging in close quarters combat. Instead, they will be fought through isolated duels out in the far reaches of space. Opposing ships will meet each other in combat by chance, and by design; in far off star systems away from Novus’ home system. It will take grit, and bravery beyond comprehension, to win these duels. Ships will even encounter each other while crossing bridges, (see paragraphs 5 and 6 on this page,) which will create the most tense of scenarios as the crews of both ships will encounter “storm like” conditions while engaging one another. Ones that old sailors used to face back on earth in the early centuries of naval warfare. These moments will be rife with drama, tragedy, and the kind of chaos that only war can bring.
I want each duel to be extremely impactful. They will be tense, and extremely dangerous. One mistake by the ships’ captains and the rest of their crews will pay for it. If any crew members place any doubt in their captain’s orders and ability to command, then they too shall bring pain and death upon their fellow spacers. There is no room for incompetence, doubt, or any form of selfishness aboard these interstellar vessels. There is no self, there is only the crew, and the ship. If a captain isn’t able to command appropriately, or if a crew isn’t disciplined enough, then they will be outmatched by their enemy and perish.
Some duels will last days, perhaps even weeks as they chase each other across a system, across the void between stars, and even through the wormholes they create which they call “bridges.” The stakes will be our characters’ survival, and there is no mercy within the vacuum of space. Death is always around the corner, and no one is safe when two ships engage one another. Some duels may require the use of one’s surroundings to gain an advantage on the enemy. Hazardous stars, planets, and nebula will come into play on multiple occasions in hopes the enemy may be destroyed by such powerful examples of nature’s malice.
Our characters’ limits will be determined by their mastery of fear. How much fear can they handle? And how much is required to break or evolve them into something else? Time and experience are the best teachers in life, these will shape the crew of Divinity’s Guile, and lead them down a path of discovery as they embark on an expedition that will alter the course of the Novusion people forever.
At this point in my writing journey I have only conceptualized the conflicts that will arise, but I can’t wait to dive into them head first! For now I’m still working on the beginning of the story, and the worldbuilding behind the main plot. I’m also still determining the final designs of the spacecraft, along with other technologies that will make frequent appearances along the way. When it comes to writing science fiction, I learned quickly that if you want one technology to be clearly defined, then all the ones that follow must also be as such. I’ve learned to enjoy the rabbit holes that I find myself in when worldbuilding, but I’ve also learned when to draw the line; sometimes I could see myself spending way too much time on a tiny detail that’s inconsequential.
For the rest of this entry, I would like to share some general information about my progress recently. I’m still working on the first chapter, but I’m making each chapter lengthy and dense. I’m also still on the first chapter because, as I mentioned before, I’m still fleshing out the details surrounding this universe I’m creating. If anything, I actually began writing the plot too early, when I should’ve continued with my worldbuilding. I hope to have the first chapter completed soon for my editors to look at, and then I’ll move on to chapter two. So far, the first chapter will heavily focus on the friendship of Loy and Vis, and then shift focus onto a third character near the end. The first chapter will build up these two characters while presenting readers with intriguing questions regarding the world they live in that will hopefully hold their attention as they read on for answers. The chapter will end with an event that I will refrain from sharing, and this event will impact Loy and Vis’ path for the rest of the book, and ultimately lead them to places they’ve never dreamed of.
I’m incredibly excited and motivated to explore this story further, and discover what it will fully entail. I have all the key plot points conceptualized, but when they truly come alive among the pages of this story, I imagine it will be the most fun I’ve ever had writing. There was a time when I thought I would never make it to this point, but here I am now with something, I believe, that is tangible and within reach. This is my dream, truly, and I’m not sure what I’ll do when this story is complete. Probably cry if I’m to be honest. Then I’ll write the sequel! I shouldn’t get ahead of myself here but I do have concepts for a sequel. I could make it a trilogy, but I think one sequel should be enough to fully conclude this story, and then after that I could return to the prequel which I did actually attempt to write as my first horror story, The Public Servant. We’ll see what happens in the years to come I suppose. For now, I need to only focus on this story and actually finishing it. So thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day. Oh, by the way, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have or just to say hi over on my Twitter which you can find when you click on the Twitter icon on the site here. Until next time.