“It’s finally here! It’s finally here!” – Me, running around my house this morning.
It seems like forever ago that I first announced Novel Boot Camp. I asked for topic ideas, your most common editing problems, and I spent hours upon hours (upon hours) writing and perfecting the course. Whew! It almost felt like Boot Camp was never going to arrive!
But here we are at the kickoff party – you with your manuscripts in hand and me ready to do nothing but eat, breathe, and sleep (or not sleep) Novel Boot Camp for the next month. It’s going to be a wild ride!
Before things get too crazy and some of you are inevitably reduced to tears with a bloody manuscript in your hands, let me say that the excitement and enthusiasm for Novel Boot Camp has reminded me of why I do what I do. It is the passion and dedication of writers like you that keeps me blogging, editing, and mentoring. You guys are the greatest!
To celebrate the kickoff party, keep meeting up with writing friends and critique partners (though I know some of you are at more than capacity in that department!) and let your friends and family know that you’ll be putting your pen where your passion is and might be a bit busier (and crazier) than usual. In order to keep the blog comments focused on the workshop, post your kickoff party excitement on Twitter and the FB group.
And now on to our first workshop!
Workshop #1: Genre Guessing Game
June 30 – July 6
For our first workshop, I want to focus on the most important aspect of editing – seeing your novel from the outside.
This is no easy task! You’ve toiled and slaved over your novel. You know it inside and out. If you’ve been editing it long enough, you can probably recite passages from heart. All of that is lovely and wonderful and passionate, but terrible for editing.
So for this first workshop, I want you to send your book out into the world – just a tiny piece of it – to see how it’s perceived by those outside yourself, by the people who know nothing about it.
Participants will submit the first 200 words of their manuscript. Guessers will attempt to identify the genre, tone, and basic plot of the novel. The objective is to have a bit of fun while exploring how your manuscript looks from the outside. Do people think your romantic comedy is a horror/thriller? Do readers expect your story of redemption to be a story of revenge?
Remember that how the Boot Campers perceive your novel is likely how agents and editors will perceive it too. We’ll be talking about why the reader’s perception of the first page is important in our first lecture tomorrow.
Warning: This is a new and totally untested workshop process. Please bare with me if there are any technical kinks or if things seem awkward. I wanted to do something unique so I hope it works!
How to Play the Genre Guessing Game
***Read the FULL directions and follow them or you will not be eligible to participate!***
Firstly, I understand that not all readers are comfortable sharing their work online. If you do not want to submit, you may still participate in the guessing.
How to Submit Your Opening
To streamline the process, decrease cheating, and increase participation, I will be posting all of the first pages anonymously (meaning that no one other than me will know whose first page is whose). If you attempt to submit your own first page, it will be deleted!
The submitted novel openings will be posted as quickly as possible, but since it must be done manually, there will likely be some delay.
Submit your novel’s opening in the form below. It will go to my email and I will manually post the first 200 words only (not your name, genre, tone, etc.) into the comments section.
Note that your novel’s opening is the very first 200 words. If you open with a prologue, use that rather than your first chapter.
How to Guess the Genre
In the comments section below this post, leave a reply to the novel openings submitted and post some or all of the following:
- Guess the Genre – Is it a contemporary romance? A YA paranormal? A horror/science fiction hybrid? Post your best guess. If you think it’s middle grade or young adult, please also include a genre (adventure, comedy, romance, etc.).
- Guess the Tone – What do you think the overall tone of this novel is? Is it creepy? Heartwarming? Spiritual? Disturbing? In other words, what adjective would you use to describe the book?
- Guess the Basic Plot – What do you think this novel is going to be about? What do you expect to happen?
- Do NOT post a critique of the opening or any comments about the writing quality or style. We will have a novel opening critique later in the month.
Please do not post your guesses anonymously unless you do not want to be eligible to win the prize for best guesser!
Sample comment/guess: I think this is a middle grade adventure story with a dark tone. I expect it to be about how the main character learns to overcome his fear of the water to defeat a sea monster.
What Should Writers Take Away?
The reader’s perception of your novel is more important than your own. Keep an eye on your novel’s opening this week to see how Boot Campers perceive your work. Is it right in line with your vision or way off?
Is the novel going to deliver what readers seem to expect? We’ll be talking about the importance of the first page’s promise in our first lecture tomorrow.
Prize – Free Edit of Your First 1,000 Words!
This workshop will have two winners! Due to the labor involved in posting, moderating, and then judging the posts, it may take me until after Novel Boot Camp to choose and notify the winners. How long it takes depends on the level of participation.
Award for the Best Guesser: This prize will go to the Novel Boot Camper with guessing power from the gods. In other words: the camper with the most correct guesses.
Award for the Best Opening: This prize will go to the opening that had its novel, genre, and basic plot guessed correctly the most often.
Both winners will receive a free edit of their first 1,000 words.
Connect with Other Novel Boot Camp Participants
Need a writing friend? Got a question? Need a shoulder to cry on? We’re there for you!
I will be answering writing and editing questions on our Twitter hashtag as time allows. Due to the insane volume of emails I’m receiving, I cannot provide free advice or assistance via email. Thank you!
What is Novel Boot Camp?
Novel Boot Camp is a free online novel writing course focused on identifying and correcting problems in your novel. Learn more about Novel Boot Camp and find past (and future) posts here.
Ellen Brock 
The first time I saw a ghost, my sisters and I were playing house in the backyard. I was five. When the fluffy white cat walked in front of our swing set, I didn’t even know it was a ghost. I just dropped my doll and ran after it. But McKenna and Tara couldn’t see the cat. McKenna said I was making it up. I didn’t care at the time. If they couldn’t see her, that meant I got to have Kitty all to myself.
When I was eleven, my family took a ghost tour of a haunted hotel. No one believed me when I said I saw the ghost of the man who’d died there. I mean, it was a ghost tour. Duh. That time, the man smiled sadly and walked away. I’d gotten used to seeing spirits by then.
Ghosts still showed up sometimes, but they passed by without noticing me, and I ignored them right back. Except Kitty. Ten years later, she was still my friend. When I saw a spirit, I didn’t bother telling people anymore. No one believed me.
Genre: Drama
Tone: intrigue/casual
basic plot: The protagonist becomes nonchalant about her ability to see spirits, but it comes in handy later on when this causes major conflict because a spirit (or spirits) need help and no one will believe her…
genre: YA paranormal
tone: lighter. Not a fluffy kind of light, but also not heavy.
plot: MC has always seen ghosts, and no one has ever believed her.Then, one spirit asks for her help. (The plot is hard to guess here since I don’t see too many hints. Unless, maybe it has something to do with no one believing her, and she has to get them to believe her for some reason.)
Genre: YA supernatural, coming of age. Tone: serious. Plot: 15-year-old girl’s ability to see ghosts allows her to save someone/the day. She finally embraces her ability and others do also.
Young Adult Dramedy romance light in tone – Narrator becomes enmeshed in a curious case of a deceased pet wanting to make sure its owner has company/love in his/her life.
Young adult ghost story. life-changing. The young girl will learn to accept her gift and use it to do good.
G: Paranormal
T: Light and
P: MC accepts her gift and is not afraid of spirits that are all around. She’s frustrated that no one believes her but came to terms with it. Until a family member dies and comes to her asking for help. Other friend and family turn there backs on her as they think that she’s just looking for attention. Her mentioning of the spirit causes others pain so they want her to stay away. She has to convince them and at the same time fight the pain of rejection.
Horror/Ghost Story (duh) Serious, sad tones. The MC will find a way to help the living by encountering the ghosts on a more intimate level or she’ll help the ghosts “pass on” by resolving their unresolved issues with the living.
Genre: Paranormal romance
Tone: light/reflective
Plot: The girl falls in love with a ghost and helps to solve his murder.
Crap… late again. I spun through the kitchen like a human tornado, gathering my purse, keys and insulated lunchbag. As I reached for my sunglasses, I knocked over my travel mug of coffee, spilling a hot river of mocha java all over my off-white pants. Damn, it’s going to be a bad day.
Ten minutes later I was backing down the driveway, my newly-refilled travel mug safely ensconced in my cup holder. I’d only been at my job for three months and my track record for punctuality was not good. I careened into the parking lot while attempting to apply one more coat of mascara and felt a jarring impact as my car slammed into something. A quick look in the rearview mirror showed what I feared – a nice track of black slid down my face and off my chin. As I vigorously rubbed waterproof Great Lash off my cheek, there was a knock at my window. Turning my head, I saw Mr. T (short for Mr. Tightass, my affectionate moniker for the uptight boss man at the office) grimacing at me through the glass. I pushed the button and the pane of glass slowly lowered.
Genre: Realism/Fiction
Tone: raw/drama/desperate
Basic plot: the protagonist’s life is falling apart, chaotic and messy, perhaps due to something in the past, and s/he is left to pick up the pieces throughout the novel.
Contemporary fiction – dramedy- The narrator navigates life and love in the modern world. Sex and the City meets Office Space
Genre: NA, Tone: Ironic. Plot: MC learns about what she really wants in life through her first job. She finds love and a better situation at the end.
Chic-liit. Romantic. A young, clumsy girl will find love.
G: Romance
T: Light
P: Mc falls in love with her boss but has to hide her feelings.
Her long legs caught the Trivian’s glance, her pride kept it. She wore a single wrap of silk around her hips that twisted back up and around her breasts. The dull red color accented her body and gave full view of the woman’s waist, neck line and figure. Her flaxen hair had been pulled back to expose the sharp lines of her face and neck. A ring of bronze rested on her collar bones, to it a link of chain ensured her wrists were behind her back in a way so that she arched her back and amplified her chest, so that buyers would be enticed to stop and admire. To any man the woman was as a treasure that one desired above all.
A young man, early in his years held the fine chain that ran from her metal collar. He wore fine robes made of colorful linen. Jewelry decorated his neck and hands in a way that made him appear wealthy than he was.
The past few days he had grown accustom to the smell of the tanners barrel placed next to his row of stones. He was optimist though seeing each man who stopped to urinate
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: Dark and suspensful
Basic plot: The woman is bought by someone, escapes and the young man who sold her (holding her chain) has to hunt her down or face punishment for selling a “bad” slave. She devises a plan to free other women like her.
Adult fantasy/erotica – serious tone – the story of Trivian’s journey into slave ownership and learning that being a Dominate meant more than simply having his way.
I’m going with adult fantasy/sci-fi. Darker tones. Maybe some sexual or romantic themes. I’m guessing the young man will be one of the main characters.
Genre: Fantasy/romance. tone: suspense, Plot: A woman and man who are held as slaves escape together and fall in love in the process.
Erotica. eery. I see chains and whips and this young man coming of age.
I think that this is an Adult Historical Romance with a Provocative tone, I feel as though this book will be about a woman who’s sold to a man as a slave. The man seems cruel at first, but he eventually shows a more tender side and the two fall in love. The man’s family objects to their love, though, and the man starts do doubt whether it’s a good decision. In the end they end up deciding that love will overcome all and get married.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: Informal
Plot: The Trivian is startled by the beauty of a young slave and purchases her from the oddly young handler, dismissing any oddness with lust. I is not long before he falls under her spell. IT is suddenly apparent that she was not what she appeared as pieces of the supernatural follow her with every step.
Science Fiction with possible dystopian and erotic elements. This story is about Trivian, a man of low means who dreams of a better life. We will follow him on his journey, perhaps inspired by a yearning love for a woman or merely the human desire for freedom and self determination. This journey will culminate in either his utter destruction or his salvation. The tone is dark.
G: Historical Romance
T: not to light but not to serious
P: The young man buys her. She’s one of many at his house. He treats her better than any other girls that he owns. They are jealous of her and are giving her a “cold shoulder”. She falls in love with her master.
Genre: historical romance
Tone: light with action
Plot: the boy and girl are together, conning people into buying her as a slave. they take the money and escape together. A man buys her and she can’t escape. Eventually falls for him.
Genre: Historical Romance
Tone: light
Plot: A man buys this girl to use her as a servant but falls in love with her, She escapes and he hunts her down, finding out she is really royalty.
Bang!
The crash of a single hard-handed thud on the storage room door jarred Jenice awake. Her eyes flew open to take in the first rays of the early morning sun shining in through the open window. Heart racing, she strove get her bearings.
“Coming.” She croaked the word out more from instinct than intention.
You’d think after having this wake-up call every day for seven years, she’d get used to it. But no, somehow the sharp blow got her every single time. Matta, the beefy woman who delivered the stinging slap to the door, had taken Jenice in as a child to work in the cobbler’s shop she ran with her husband, Gareth. She delivered another vicious blow to the thin, defenseless door. “Hurry up, unless you need stronger motivation to get moving. Unless you’re riding the broom in there, I should be hearing feet on the floor. Don’t think I won’t come in there.”
Jenice gazed around the storage room that doubled as her bedroom. The broom leaned in the corner by the door just where she had put it yesterday. She could hear the scraping and rustling of things she did not want to think about nosing through the stored grains and seeds.
Young Adult fantasy -mystery – a coven of witches had given up Jenice when she was a child in order to protect her from the hunts that had been dramatically increasing. Soon her powers would emerge and she could defend her kind against the threat of man
Young adult fantasy with romantic and coming of age elements. A lighter tone though I suspect it might get darker as the story progresses. I’m not sure what the plot will be.
Young adult. Historical realistic A young girl has been taken into slavery. I see the MC breaking the chains.
Genre: Romantic Fiction
Tone: Light
Plot: A young girl blossoms into a woman, as her world view changes after meeting a special person. She leaves behind the life she once led and discovers love for the first time.
G: Historical fantasy, romance
T: Sad
P: Janice is being mistreated by her owners. She got use to hard work but could never satisfy Matta and Gareth. One of the clients at the shop falls in love with her and tries to brake her free.
Historic Dickensian Romance written in a somber tone that may progress to a more hopeful one before the end of the book. Janice escapes the cruel working conditions in the cobbler’s shop when she comes of age on her 16th birthday. Her quick wit, pluck and determination–not just to survive but to thrive, sends her on a series of adventures that will ultimately lead to her finding her soul mate and the warmth and security that only true love brings.
With each mile of two-lane highway the Audi A5 swallowed, Cassie Long’s toned muscles tightened another notch. Ten years had passed since she’d last glimpsed Magnolia Grove. She should have come home sooner, but time had a way of rushing by. Now, Cassie had no choice.
Jason Lane had called two days prior with news of Marjorie Moore’s passing. Although they both graduated in 2002, Cassie had no idea Jason had become an attorney. Nor did she know that Jason handled her mother’s affairs. Marjorie Moore’s death had come suddenly, Jason told her. No lengthy illness ensued or other condition to cause her death. He needed Cassie in Magnolia Grove as soon as possible.
When the city limit sign came into view, Cassie drew a deep breath and slowly released it. She dreaded what lay ahead—the funeral and handling of her mother’s affairs, having to see everyone again and face their nosy questions and possible acquisitions. When she’d left town, she’d never considered having to return.
Cassie cringed when she passed old Henry’s service station on the outskirts of town. Nothing had changed. The place still had plain, dingy white paint and the same old sign with faded red lettering.
Genre: contemporary romance/suspense
Tone: heart-warming with a little drama
Basic plot: Cassie has to return to her hometown to handle her mother’s affairs and falls in love with Jason. She has to decide between him and her new life (possibly a husband?), while trying to clear up the circumstances of her mother’s death.
Adult Mystery suspenseful/dark tone with a smidgen of romance — Cassie is needed in town by the attorney because he wants her help to determine what REALLY happened on Magnolia Grove but he’s too close to the case/family personally to do much poking around. Since she’s already rather not popular due to her past actions he figures she’s perfect to ruffle some feathers and get to the bottom of the mystery.
Contemporary romance. Adult. Serious tone. I’m guessing that in addition to dealing with the passing of Cassie’s family, she also runs into an old flame and an old attraction sparks. It’s possible there’s a mystery mixed into the romance.
Romantic Contemporary. Realistic Cassie, who left home and never looked back, now returns to settle her mother’s estate and finds love.
Genre: Romantic Fiction:
Tone: Intimate
Plot: After dealing with the death of her mother, Cassie becomes closer to Jason and they begin a secret affair. However, James turns out to want more than just her as he attempts to get his hands on a special inheritance.
G: Romans
T: Light
P: Cassie’s not looking forward to meet with old friends and neighbors. Whatever happened in her past still hangs over her head in the eyes of towns people. She has a hard job handling her mothers affairs as well as trying to figure out what had happen to her. Jason is there with her, every step of the way. They fall in love.
Chic Fiction/Suspense Her mother died “under mysterious circumstances.” As Cassie endeavors to enlist the help of the local authorities and town officials she encounters resistance and, on occasion, outright hostility. Her investigation leads to more questions than answers, not the least of which is who was the real Marjorie Moore? The more she finds out about her mother the more she realizes about herself and why she never really felt a part of the community. The story builds to a dangerously thrilling climax with her discovering who killed her mother either just before or just after the subplot of her romance with a local man reaches it’s own kind of climax. The tone is like the lead character, strong and independent.
Somewhere in Virginia, the last state in our two day, five state journey. Four states really, but Dad claimed that we’d skimmed through Maryland. I adjusted the vents on the dashboard, lunging forward to let the AC blow in my hair because it was a million degrees outside. When that didn’t cut it, I opened my shirt sleeve to allow an icy blast of air to shoot down my armpit. Dad pretended that he didn’t see me, just like he’d ignored all of my moaning and heavy breathing. That’s when I started in with the questions.
“Does it ever snow in Virginia?”
“Sure it does. Of course not as often as home, I mean Plattsburgh, but yeah, it snows.”
I grinned at his slip. Home. You had it right Dad. Home was back the other way where I hoped to be headed back before winter. I’ll have my snowboard and ski pants, and we’ll tear through the Adirondacks and back into North Country laughing about that stupid plan to move to the south and suffer through all of its unbearable heat. I switched armpits. Who would choose to live in this?
Genre: YA (possibly romance)
Tone: fun and upbeat
Basic plot: The protagonist (1st p. narrator) and her family move to Virginia and she has to settle in while making up some plan to convince her Dad/parents to move back. Romantic and/or suspensful complications with her new environment ensue.
Young Adult Coming of age story, humorous tone – The narrator has to learn to adjust to life in a new town while dealing with the split up of parents/divorce/high-school.
Young adult coming of age story. I sense a lighter, somewhat sarcastic tone. I’m guessing it’s going to be boy and girl meet, initially hate each other, and eventually fall in love kind of story.
YA, coming of age.
Young adult, travel. A dad and his son, I think, are moving to another state to start a new life.
G: YA romance
T; fun
P: Her dad decides to move to Virginia against her wishes. She’s not happy in their new home. She tries to settle in but its not easy. It all changes when she meets a boy who makes her happy.
Young Adult. Light tone. Coming of age story about a young girl who discovers she is not the center of the universe after all. When her father packs up the family and moves south where the jobs are, she has to go to a new school and make new friends. Will she ever fit in? Are all the boys country bumpkins and the girls all fresh-faced farm girls? Argh! Oh, wait, what about him . . . ?
My self-portrait was propped up on the easel in my room. I’d covered the floor beneath it with an old bit of cloth we’d used when the house was being redecorated. The cloth was essential. The last time I’d painted, I’d forgotten it, and my bedroom carpet had ended up multicoloured, like the floor of a unicorn slaughterhouse. No: this time, I was taking precautions.
I stared back at myself, breathing heavily. I loved the painting, even if it didn’t look that much like me. My hair was optimistically styled; at the time I’d ignored the stray strands. The painted eyes were too wide, looking into the distance at nothing. And no freckles at all. I’d ignored them: they were too irregular and messed up the design, I’d thought.
I didn’t care. I loved that portrait so much, even if it was no good. A first attempt at capturing my teen-aged self was still something.
The tin of red paint weighed heavily in my left hand. All I wanted was just to put it down and back away from it, but I had no choice. My parents had been very clear: it would be better for me to get rid of it.
Upper Young Adult horror. As for the plot, the best I can come up with is that there’s a strong, not desirable link, between the girl and her self-portrait and that many bad things are about to happen.
Young adult, horror. Eerie. The painting will have a life of its own and cause great havoc to the young girl’s family.
G: YA thriller/paranormal
T: serious
P: MC decides to go against her parents and hides the portrait. She paints on unused canvas with red paint so she could full her parents. Soon weird thinks start to happen around the house.
Young Adult Sarcastic tone evocative of a modern teenager. Her parents are loving but perfectionists and this may be a story about her finding her own creative spirit and taking a stand,
Genre: This was tough. I was torn between horror and mystery
Tone: melancholy
Plot: She must not remember her past due to what she did then or what happened to her then. Her parents don’t want her to.
There were six women waiting in Texas who I didn’t want to see. Not the state, just the conference room. All the conference rooms were named after larger states – California, Florida, Colorado. Heading down the corridors of lavender-gray walls dotted evenly with black, white and gray photos of India or Africa, I fretted about holding their attention. And more. I fretted about a lot more. Would I drop a book on the floor, or come in quietly, stand stoically and wait for them to look? Or, yell, “OK, ladies,” like a prison guard. I was always thinking of my voice and what level of harshness and volume it should or shouldn’t contain. I was always holding something back. I continued through the maze of shoulder-high cubicle wall landmarks — left at the succulents cube, right after the Reese’s Pieces cube, just across from the donut table, anticipating that things could get out of hand in Texas pretty quickly. These women didn’t respect me. Why? I suppose it was because of my recent public sell out. I came to Sim Cirque – Conflict Simulators For Hire, as an actress who wanted to make ends meet as a role player (RP) and just last week I’d been made a supervisor.
Adult thriller, Humorous, though I suspect some dark, scarey bits. I’m clueless as far as plot.
Chic-lit. fun and light. A woman against the ranks.
G: fantasy
T:light
P: MC struggles to earn back respect.
Chic Fiction/Corporate Suspense The tone is serious but there’s an undertone of self-deprecating humor too. The six women are her peers and she develops relationships with each of them, on both good and bad terms. The four she wins over are a boon to her as the story progresses but one of the six sets out to implicate her in corporate espionage. By the end of the book she has found the real culprit, cleared her good name and had at least one memorable night in the sack with somebody.
I’d give my right arm for a guillotine. Some might consider a beheading to be a drastic method of dealing with a headache, but I’m desperate and I can’t think of anything more efficient.
“Are you okay,” Great Aunt Maggie asks.
I turn my head which sends a knife-sharp bolt of pain spearing through my skull.
“I’m fine. It’s just a headache.”
“Are you sure?” Maggie’s chair creaks. “You’re awfully pale.”
“Dat’s not surprising,” Maggie’s sister-in-law, Etna, says in her thick, Upper Peninsula accent. She adjusts her black silk eye patch she wears to hide the hole where her left eye should be. I’ve encountered people who make an eye patch seem like a fashion accessory, others look ridiculous. Etna’s patch enhances her fearsome nature
Etna jerks her chin in my direction. Her multiple chins wiggle and shake.
“Look at her! All dat red hair and pale skin. She’ll burn up when she goes outside. Da girl’s going to be a nuisance. I bet she’s sickly too. I bet she needs special care and medical procedures. Dat explains why Caroline dumped her here, eh?”
I press my fingers against my temples. Etna’s voice could replace foghorns.
Comedy, tone=sarcastic. Plot: a crucible will lock the entire family up together for a tense but funny experience. James-MEOW Date: 30 June, 12014 H.E.
Genre: YA/ Tone: Comedic, spirited/ Plot: Girl is left behind by her mother who is in trouble and is forced to prove herself, coming of age.
Young adult, historical. funny. A young girl grows up in the US backwater.
G; YA
T; light/funny
P: MC doesn’t like the idea of living with her Great aunts. She doesn’t mind Maggie as much but Etna gives her headache every time. The two elderly women live together and now MC is going to join them. She’s going to clash with Etna on numerous occasions much like in Anne of Green Gables (interaction between Anne and Marilla plus the headaches ;)).
Adult/Comedy Sarcastic tone Story of a young woman who has to adjust to living with two old woman. By the end of the story the elders have gained new insights and the youngster has a new found respect for the lessons she’s learned from Great Aunt Maggie and Ms. Etna.
Ya, coming of age. Sarcastic/humorous tone
A thought filled the void. Sounds crested with the waves. Their desperate praises, live again for a moment, faded into the darkness. “It was the only way.”
Mountains leveled with a nudge, enemies reduced to ash, savoring the smoldering remains. There were no rivals here. None were left. Curls of other universes hid scattered remnants, mere specks of the glory once shared. Glory usurped by others. Now, there was only loneliness; eternal, consuming. “I shall release another.”
There, in an adjoining universe. Warm colors, then ultra-violet. Another reflected, unaware. The
outline of a cupped palm darkened space. Space began to spin. Accelerating, red-hot matter and nearby universes spiraled toward the inescapable grip. Colliding dimensions ruptured, releasing the other: serpent, sea-blue with green starfish tail. The hand closed as universes vanished. The serpent disappeared. An explosion of fiery quills, spinning wildly, flinging heat and light in all directions. The other seemed frightened, but caution remained wise. “Be still.”
“Where are you?! Who are you?”
“I am Becoming.”
“Becoming what?”
“I am Becoming. You may call me the Ancient One. We shall explore the universes together, and create our subjects.”
A question mark, bright blue, flashed against the darkness.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Tone: foreboding
Plot: MC learns the origin of the universes, is mentored by Ancient One.
Literary. colorful. A new world is born.
G: Sci fi adventure
T: dark
P: MC explores the universes with the Ancient One.
Science Fiction/Fantasy Dark tone The chaos of genesis gives way to two mighty creatures who may be locked in mortal combat or who choose to traverse the universe experiencing the joys of existence.