When you read this, we will have experienced (or not) a full eclipse of the sun, a real space adventure. People have been flying or driving from all parts of the US to find a viewing place along the swath of the US that will maximize the view of the eclipse. San Antonio is very close to the center line of the eclipse path. Hotels and airline flights have been booked in advance, some as many as two years! In my area of Texas, banks, government offices, and schools will be closed. Restaurants have stocked up on extra food to feed the expected rush of eclipse-hungry visitors. But will it happen?
Weather forecasts made on April 7th suggested that the local skies will be cloudy with chances of rain on Monday. Bummer! I’m not worried, however. I have seen eclipses before. By the way, I was listening to the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tell the story of Columbus getting ready to return to Europe. He apparently needed supplies for his ships and crews and solicited the local natives to provide for him. They said no. They only had enough food to sustain them through the non-growing season. Here is where the story gets dark, so to speak.
Apparently, Columbus said that if the natives did not give him what he wanted, his god would cause the sun to go away. I don’t think the natives believed him. However, Columbus knew that an eclipse of the sun was coming in a day or two, so he sat back and waited. Sure enough, the traveler’s god took away the sun. The native relented and begged Columbus to return the sun, which he did. They gave him the food, and away he went. No history about how the poor natives faired after giving away much or most of their food.
By the way, true or not, this story has become what writers call a trope. A trope is a common and/or overused theme or even a cliché. I’ll bet you have read a book or seen a movie in which some lead character has done the same thing with a group of natives somewhere. Books are full of tropes, and I’m sure if you looked hard, you would find a few in my books as well. But I haven’t used an eclipse in science fiction space … yet. Here endeth the lesson for the day.
As far as Renegade is concerned, I found that my grand plot plan wasn’t long enough. I’m at the 43000-word point and, based on my original plan, don’t have enough for the next 40000 words. Ugh! So, I’m reviewing what should come next and squeezing out more details. I’m finding some places that are just plain inadequate for the story, and I am dreaming up more details, scenes, and chapters. Most of my science fiction books are between 85,000 and 100,000 words. I have a way to go yet!
What do you think about eclipses or even writing?
