A Bookish Sarah

encouragement & bookish things

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Sarah
Welcome, friend! Relax & rest awhile, if you please. I'm an ordinary girl, a follower of Christ, mama to Gabriel, Heidi, & Aidan; and wife to Evan. Here in this little space of the online world, I share all manner of bookish things, including full content reviews, writerly snippets, encouragement for everyday life, and a whole collection of names & their meanings.

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Encouragement

Camp NaNo // Week 3


This is the end of Week 3!  I dunno about you, but this week seems to have FLOWN by.  I, alas, did not get as much writing done as the previous week, but I'm gonna still try to share a few snippets!

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Like I've mentioned before, I'm basically just getting a feel for this story at present.  I've no complete plot (since when do I ever??), and no complete list of characters either. . .  But that should change!  This dystopian thing is growing on me now, and I've got some vague, just-outta-reach ideas floating around in my head in regards to the world-building.

I realized something PROFOUND this week:  Dystopian stories are kinda like Fantasy, in that you can do practically ANYTHING.  The world, while usually a futuristic version of our own, can be made into ANYTHING.  It could have degenerated into a war-torn land where electricity & technology has faded from existence because only the privileged new its secrets & they were killed off centuries ago.  Or it could be so humanly advanced that a body needs for nothing but to snap & its at his/her fingers.  There's literally a whole WORLD of possibilities!  Have you ever thought of that?  Have you ever dabbled in this particular genre?

Admittedly, I got burned out after all the hype of The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, & the Divergent series.  All quite intriguing & entertaining, but rather too similar in the telling.  I believe that's when the idea for Via appeared.  I wanted to write a story set in the distant future with a similar premise of impending chaos & destruction & a ragtag team of vagabonds tasked with saving the world.  But the difference I want to add is HOPE---something that, to me, always seemed lacking in the dystopian genre.  Sure, everything usually came out alright in the end of those stories, though certainly at a price, but the idea of light in the midst of suffocating darkness just seemed absent.

What do you think?  Truly!  I'd love to know your opinions in regards to the Dystopian/Sci-Fi/Futuristic genre.  It could certainly help me in Via's story.  :]

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But, I digress.  On to the snippets!!

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Photo by Quinten de Graaf on Unsplash

          Shock held both he and Warrick frozen for the space of a moment when she fell to her knees, gasping. Confusion clouded his brain. Seizure? But no, there hadn’t been any word of such for nigh on to fifty years now.
          She was certainly American. Of that he was sure. But of all the things he might have expected to come of this encounter, it wasn’t this.

          His brother was carefully examining the dressing, watching what he touched. He looked at him. “She needs medical attention. This is far beyond our skills.”
          Darrow agreed. The girl’s eyes had closed, most likely due to exhaustion, but her pupils were active. She was listening—still conscious. “Let’s get back to the Hawk. We can scout the building later. She’s lost too much blood.”
          Her brown hair was matted and unbrushed, but it seemed clean. She’d been on the run for who knew how long, but she’d made the effort for self-care. What had happened to make her run?
          It hit him then.
          “Wick…” Darrow rose and turned to Warrick.
          His brother had returned from radioing and had taken the liberty of grabbing the girl’s meager supplies. “Dah?
          “Does she remind you of anyone you might have seen on Broadcast recently?”



           “Darrow, she’s an even higher bounty on her head than we have,” Warrick’s voice sounded worried. “If word leaked that we were harboring her…”
          “It won’t happen. Not as long as I can help it.” As gently as possible, Darrow lifted her into his arms and gestured with his head towards the door. She was uncommonly light, but they still had several floors to traverse with no power to work the elevators. He wasn’t sure if going upward would be any worse than going down…
          “We’ll bring in Lara. We’ll give her a more permanent disguise.”
          “What if she runs?”
          “We won’t—can’t—let her. She’s far too valuable an asset. If she can learn to trust us, who knows the secrets she could share?”
          Warrick’s laugh was bitter. “I’m quite sure it was that kind of thinking that caused her to flee her own country. . .


Photo by Tiago Dos Santos on Unsplash

          “Dah, dah. Shuttin’ up,” Warrick responded, hands surrendered as he led the way to the door. He opened it for the both of them, allowing Darrow to exit first. Darrow felt his brother follow, but not before hearing him slap the miniscule camera onto the wall by the door frame. Can’t be too cautious. They’d know if any—thing came exploring.
          They would return. This building was promising.
          Had to be if an American traitor had seen fit to claim it first.



Photo by Jörg Angeli on Unsplash

           Warrick chuckled. “You’re the one who must always be the hero, saving all distressed damsels.”
          “Yeah, I believe the term is ‘damsel in distress’, and next time you’re sharing the load.”
          “Whoa. You are the one so blessed with brawn and muscle—I would have gladly shared the responsibility, but I must fly the Hawk. I need every ounce of strength and focus. And I’d advise, brother, to never let a girl hear you think she’s a ‘load.’ Not the best way to begin a relationship.”
          Darrow scoffed. “Every ounce—you could fly this in your sleep. Spare me the excuses,you  dork.”
          “Why, yes, I could. And I find offense in your latter statement, sir.”
          Darrow ignored the comment.
          “Wick, just fire her up. We’ve dallied too long,” he grunted, exasperated. His burden released a small groan as he laid her down, waiting for Warrick to charge their ride. He cursed himself for wasting time. His brother was right, they needed Lara.  



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Well?  :]

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Happy Easter weekend, y'all!  I do hope you can remember that this holiday is not about little bunnies, decorated eggs, & candy.  While it's one of the most sorrowful events of our Christian history, it's also one of the most joyful.

Our King lives!
Sunday's coming. . .

Comments

  1. MORE SNIPPETS. YAAAAY!!! And they feature the brothers. MORE YAY!!! I loved their bantering, especially in the last snippet. They're so fun! And now I'm SO curious why Via is on the run and what's going on. This story just looks so cool!!!

    OKAY. But errrryyyything you said about the dystopian genre. Just YES! I, too, always feel like the hope is missing in most dystopian books. I like them a lot, but sheesh, can they get depressing. I think dystopians filled with SOME kind of hope is absolutely what the literary world needs. I am sooo beyond excited you're writing one. Oh my goodness, YES! :D

    Also, I HAVE thought of dystopian being sorta kinda like fantasy for the exact reason you said! I've written one dystopian, and wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But, honestly? It was one of the most fun books I've ever written. There was still so much freedom to create a whole new world and I LOVED it! That is so fun you feel that way too. :D

    HAPPY EASTER, M'DEAR! I hope you and your family have a beautiful and blessed one! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, girl! I'm really trying to work on their relationship. Siblings CAN be great friends, right?? ;D

      Depressing describes the dystopian genre all to well. They have great, intriguing stories, but I got so tired of the doom & gloom. Thank you! You are so sweet. I don't know how far I can take this one, but we'll see. It's certainly not at the top of my priorities, but it's been fun dabbling in this genre for Camp.

      Yes, glad you think the same! I agree, it can be fun!! I love historical fiction, but all of the research & stuff you have to have JUST RIGHT or everything's messed up freaks me out. It would be hard to try out that genre for me (though I love reading them).

      I had a lovely Easter, thanks so much! I hope you & your family did as well! Our King lives! <3

      Delete
  2. It's so much fun exploring a different genre! Dystopia/futuristic stories do have a similar appeal as fantasy... There are so many things you can do with those genres and it's sort of like a storytelling playground, hehe! I love stories about hope prevailing even in dark times, and the world needs more futuristic stories with that!

    Those snippets—WHOA. I am super intrigued and I love the banter between Darrow and Warrick. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YESSSSSS. Yes, exactly! I love how you put it: "a storytelling playground." <-- that's PERFECT

      Thank you, dear girl! Intrigue is certainly what I'm going for. And I believe it needs the brother's banter---every book needs at least a little humor, right? :]

      Delete
  3. I never thought of Dystopian being similar to Fantasy in that way....I guess that explains the appeal of the genre, LOL.

    The snippets though, are WONDERFUL :)

    ReplyDelete

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To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, and a book of rules,
And each must make, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
-Anonymous-

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