Planet Be

It's been so long since I've written here that I worry if anyone is checking this blog for progress they'd think I've not made any. In fact I have been happy with many decisions I'm making about this story. I'm not so happy with formatting & organization decisions—like, I think I had intended this blog to “be the book,” in which case this note does not fit. This whole post does not fit that format, because this post is about progress on the writing of my (I hope, someday) story.

Planet Be the title is meant to evoke phrases like, “there is no 'Plan B' for saving our planet.” I spell it “Be” because the main setting of my story will be on a planet that has got its act together (Planet B).

Planet A Chronologically the story begins on Planet A. The main characters on Planet A are 2 who do not yet know each other but have a lot in common. They are idealistic in that they believe strongly in equality and cooperation as the path to peaceful coexistence. They are also realistic/pessimistic in facing the fact that their planet's future is bleak. They live in a wealthy, populous nation that is most responsible for the ecological disaster the planet faces; and the dominant group of citizens within that nation refuse to take responsibility or accept scientific truth. In fact the dominant group within the dominant nation on Planet A just elected a demagogue who deliberately intends to accelerate worsening conditions for the planet's most vulnerable while stockpiling resources for the already wealthy. I have yet to decide whether the action on Planet A begins during the election or during the relatively long transition period between the election and when the demagogue takes office. The philosophy driving this nation's government is about to go from neoliberal to fascist, roughly speaking.

The 2 characters on Planet A are Scientist & Artist. I realize that I'm conceiving an odd book. I do not want to describe my characters physically. I do not want to limit them with names (yet). I am thinking these things through. Scientist works at the government space agency, whose controversial Legacy Project has been debated during the campaign. The Legacy Project is an idea to transport archives of the civilizations on this planet via long range rockets in every direction into space. Obviously they can't go in all directions but they're manufacturing a large number of rockets for this purpose.

The project is criticized from the right and left. The demagogue has little interest in science but wants to transition the capabilities of the space agency to war. He makes it known that he plans to change all exploratory rockets designed for space into missiles that can attack nations on the opposite side of the planet. Our Scientist character and others within his agency are disturbed about handing their agency over to a war monger. They develop a plan to accelerate the project should the demagogue win.

From the left the Legacy Project is criticized as “Plan B”—like, Plan A would be saving the planet we're on and the best the center-left government can do is a Plan B.

The Artist character is among those critical of Plan B.

During the campaign it is leaked that the rockets are not only designed to transport documentation of the planet's civilizations but that each rocket has the capacity to carry a being in stasis. This news causes a lot of mockery {it won't work; the government is giving up on the entire planet & planning escape; etc.} by the demagogue even though some in his circle begin to secretly vie for space on the rockets. In true neoliberal fashion those being considered as representatives of the planet are “esteemed personages of the status quo,” as the Artist points out, “the exact people who ruined life on earth for all of us! Are we hoping to kill other planets too?!”

speaking of Earth, in my universe the intelligent beings on every inhabited planet call their planets earth! That comes up later

During a repetitive task at work Scientist finds the Artist's video channel & gradually becomes a fan of the Artist's thinking. Scientist begins to raise the same objections he gets from the Artist to his superiors. For example some of the people being considered for the stasis program are elderly. Scientist thinks the selection process is being corrupted by cronyism. Later when some old rich person who is selected for an escape tube dies, Scientist is able to substitute Artist in their place. It's a whole discussion, because Artist doesn't like this program at all. Insert good scene of dialogue here ;)

so that's the outline for how a main character who is countercultural ends up being shot into space as a representative of their planet.

I have some ideas for how it gets to the Planet B. One difficulty is deciding how Artist is woken. I really want to write multiple alternatives. I'm figuring out if I can do rehearsals or simulations or something. I want the main character of Planet B to be someone who takes a personal interest in ensuring Artist has the best awakening experience possible, rather than taking place in a sterile lab in isolation.

There's so much more to write!