This is going to be a rough adventure because I am literally going to fire things down on the page as I brainstorm, and I am going to try to guess at the suggestions you might make and the questions you might ask as I do so. In this way, I am taking you into the workshop with me, so you are very much a real part of the work I will do here today.
Before we get into it, let’s assess what we’ve got so far.
You are here!
We know that Angel Fall will be set in the far future, many generations after a massive lunar impact event pelted Planet Earth with wave after wave of fiery rocks, devastating civilisation. The survivors exist in small rival communities who often quarrel over limited resources.
A network of sentry satellites once watched over the world, and the few remaining are of religious significance to the characters. They will be part of legend and song, both of which will be important in the oral tradition of this world. There is at least one system of faith in this world, centred on the satellites, or ainjels as they are known to the people of the time. When Pac, the sky beast, took a bite out of the moon and spat it at the people on the ground below, the brave angels fought hard to protect them. Many angels were knocked down, and these fallen angels stewed in their failure, and turned to darkness. A battle between them will someday come, the people believe. Those who are good will be carried away by the good angels, while those who are bad will be tormented by the bad ones.
Our story begins in the thaw which follows the ice age into which the planet was thrust following the lunar impact event. Our first-person narrator is named Scar. His name comes from the burns on his left arm and face which he suffered as a baby. Because of his injuries, our boy is not held in high regard, and is not a full member of his community. He fancies a young clairvoyant girl named Clarity, but she has no time for him. We also have Nope, an elder of the community. He will be central to the tale. One other character who may be significant is Prophet. His job is to watch for the day of Angel Fall, when the sky angels will come to Earth to battle with their former kin. Scar is perhaps learning the ropes from him, so he can take over when Prophet’s time is up.
We decided that Angel Fall will be a story of trust and betrayal, and an allegory of our times.
Being set in the far future, we decided that the novel should have its own unique language, which will be a patois of modern and made-up words and phrases.
We’ve come a distance but there’s a long way to go before we start writing this novel, and even further to go before we have the first draft. I’m chomping at the bit, to be honest, but a little patience and care now will pay dividends later.
First brainstorm
Let’s get straight into this brainstorming session!
These are stray thoughts, and in no particular order. I’m letting my mind go wherever it wants, and allowing inspiration to find me. Later, we’ll put shape on the ideas we come up with.
Okay, here goes!
A sense of location - Ireland / England/ the States?
England, I think
What stories from the old days remain?
Shakespearian tales, perhaps, but in a greatly distorted form
Tales of kings and princes and intrigue
Old stories adapted to fit the angels
Central metaphor/symbol? Has to be the angels, they offer both hope and damnation
Angels - legend, faith, doctrine, dogma
Fire from above; guardians
Blasphemy?
How important is their faith? Fundamental? For some, yes, others not so much.
Language
What about our characters so far?
Scar
Nope (could he be a traitor to his people?)
Clarity (could she posses some power e.g. be a natural clairvoyant?)
Prophet (aging, redundant?)
Princess (leader of another faction)
What initial questions do we need to ask of them?
What do they want/need/fear/hate/lack?
What drives them as individuals? Belonging, faith, prejudice.
What drives them as a society? Survival!
What unites them? Survival!
What separates them? Also survival!
There’s a lot to unpack there, but let’s allow our minds to drift again:
Tyrant; I have in mind a powerful and shadowy antagonist who will be the driving force behind the story. He will light the fuse, though this may not be known to the reader at the start of the novel.
Bedlam, where the tyrant is, or it could be his name
Song and story
Bad guys singing as they take Scar’s people away
Feudal society?
Tribute, what’s owed to whom
Driving emotion? Belonging!
Secrets, lost knowledge
Motivation
How old is Scar?
Mother
Power
Wisdom, value of
What sort of housing do they have?
Any remnants of the old world?
Livestock?
Crops?
Hunter/gatherer society?
Nomadic?
Who makes the clothes, shoes, other essentials?
Barefoot? Perhaps Scar prefers this
Communal eating?
Housing structures - old underground silos, or above-ground huts?
Adaptations
Evolution
Mutation
Ghost stories, stories to make children behave
Is your mind buzzing as much as mine? We could continue but let’s take a breather and review, starting from the start.
England feels like the right setting for the story, though the characters might not call it by that name. To them it will simply be the land they live on. If they are seasonally nomadic, anywhere they live will be a temporary home. Might they move according to the weather or the prey they hunt? It could also be that they are moving according to where the melt is taking place. There could also be a survival benefit to having a small footprint. Say they are few in number, so choose to move when threatened rather than face a fight. Any alliances they make would then be transitory. They might for instance hitch their wagon to a strong faction from time to time, and might have a lasting bond with one or two other nomadic peoples.
Let’s say there are some established settlements. Might the novel start as Scar’s people settle for a time near one of them? There could be a reason for doing so, a religious festival where Prophet’s attendance is required, or a tribute that needs to be paid to a local leader - I’m definitely thinking the society should be in some way feudal.
I’m liking this so far, and what I’m doing here is literally streaming this onto the page with no preparation. And all this comes purely from considering the setting for the novel. This is raw creation!
Let’s dig into one more aspect of the above brainstorm before we wrap up for today. Looking back, what catches my eye is the idea that Nope might betray his people. He would need strong motivation to do so. What motivates people? Money, power, sex, prestige. Money doesn’t apply but power and prestige might. Perhaps turning traitor is the price of admission into the good graces of the tyrant, whose name for now we’ll assume to be Bedlam. This might centre on Clarity, the girl Scar is attracted to. I wondered about mutation and whether she has some sort of clairvoyant powers. That would make her valuable to Bedlam, and would make Nope valuable for a time, but ultimatelty dispensible. Scar, whom Nope discovers in the woods because the boy isn’t allowed to attend the religious festival, throws a spanner in the works. Nope could kill him, and perhaps prepares himself to do so, but something stays his hand. I can’t yet say what that might be.
I feel I can now define a basic premise for the novel, to give us a sense of direction:
Angel Fall - Premise
A young boy travels across a devastated far-future world in the company of a reluctant wise elder to rescue his people from slavery, and to ensure that a young clairvoyant girl does not fall into the hands of a tyrant.
I’m going to stop there for today. We’ve covered a lot of ground, and the story is taking on a shape I like.
Watch out for the next Plot post, in which we’ll discuss the first act of the three-act structure. After that, we’ll get right back to developing more ideas for Angel Fall from this brainstorming session.