Saturday 20 May 2006

Pic of the day: Boy, girl, fantasy world. (Not that most of them don't live in one already.)

Fictional ideas

The sad truth is that ideas are like snowflakes: Each one may be unique, but there is no shortage of them in the world, and they are soon forgotten.

The sad truth is that ideas are like stray cats: You take in one, you take in two, and suddenly you have so many you cannot give them away for free.

The sad truth is that even a great idea will not let you write a good book, draw a good comic, program good software, compose good music, start a good business. The idea relates to the finished product as an egg does to a prepared and served Thanksgiving turkey.

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That said, I'll let you peek on a story of mine that is still in the worldbuilding phase and may well never get further than that. Right now it doesn't have what it takes to invest the time and pain of typing (or even dictating) for weeks and months. Here's what I've got, though:

Boy genius (name not decided) begins high school, or possibly transfers to one, will depend on whether there are any interactions that require them to be older than a certain age. Boy notices girl who is doing better than him in school, that's a first. She is unusually mature and knowledgeable. He assumes that she is a genius too, but as he eagerly gets to know her, finds that she is not a fast learner.

The story takes a turn for the fantastic. The girl's family have on their property a gateway to a different world, a magical and dreamlike place where they can come and go at will. In this other world, time does not flow like here. They do not grow older while they are there, nor do they grow hungry or sleepy, neither do they heal if they are sick. Nothing is ever worn out or used up. They cannot effect real change in the world either: If you bend to pick up a flower, the flower will still be there and your hand will be empty. If you kneel to drink of the water, it will not quench your thirst and there will be no less water than there was. If you walk on the sand, you leave no footstep, but are in the world like a ghost.

The timeless land is different from ours also in the life there. Instead of our comforting green and the shape of leaves, the plants are reddish in color, mostly pink, and have "fingers". Larger stems may be coral red, the fingers pink, and often end in white or very light pink tufts of hair or cotton. Very surreal and discomforting at first. There are no birds or large animals, but the niches of insects and birds are filled with something vaguely like tiny lizards with wings. There are also burrowing worms. But like with all other things there, you cannot really interact with the animals there.

You can take with you whatever you want from the world outside. The girl takes with her schoolbooks, which is why she has had so much time to learn them all and do her homework. She also brings other books that she reads, and instruments that she plays. You can also bring a CD or MP3 player, but radio will of course not work.

There is no special magic or anything, just an endless ocean of time to do whatever you want... as long as you don't want to change the world in any way.

The time Girl has spent in the dream realm has changed her, so she no longer feels compatible with the other young people. Her classmates call her "Granma" but they respect her. They just find it hard to talk with her, and she with them. She is very alone when she meets Boy, and goes against her parents' advice when she reveals the secret. They too have lived in the timeless world for a while, using it to advance their career. But they found the price too steep. They warn Boy that if he gets addicted to it, he will gradually lose his humanity and become like a ghost inside.

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I think that is a pretty cool idea, but I wonder if I am giving away more about myself than I am aware of here...