writing style

Space in the Noise

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The world is a noisy busy place. Constantly, we are surrounded by facets of distraction. Our phone needs monitored for pivotal social media updates, our dogs need to go for a walk, that work project deadline is looming. It’s hard to find space to create in all this jumble. Being a writer, it is even more challenging as my canvas is attached to the prime agent of distraction–my computer/the internet. Some days I sit down and feel like I can’t have a coherent thought, let alone finish a sentence.

It’s easy to get caught up and find yourself at the end of the week with nothing of creative merit stacked up to your name, and then get funneled into the weekend hoping to just relax for a moment. When our minds are so busy like this, downtime and relaxation are important, but when you’re a creative, even vegging out in front of the TV can cause anxiety because you know you could be putting your mind to better use.

Or at least that’s how my brain functions. If yours is anything like mine, you know the feeling. But you also need to recognize the power of sub-cognitive functions. While you are lounging on the couch, stuffing your face with pizza and downing wine, perhaps the film you are watching will inspire you in ways you never would have thought. During those extra lazy hours of sleeping in on Sunday, you might have a dream which solidifies a loose end of a story line. Our brains are working all the time, and are naturally focused on matters most important to us. As creative souls, these matters tend to be our art.

If this still isn’t reassuring, and  your brain works like mine on twelve layers at once like some really magnificent cake, then consider this. Even when I am working on tax forms, balancing the books, planning a fashion blog, and playing fetch with my bulldogs in some chaotic ballet of working from home, my novel’s story is ALWAYS in the back of my mind. I don’t have to peel away many layers to discover the thread. My mind is continually churning away at it, waiting for that facet to be brought to the forefront when I finally close out of Facebook and open up Microsoft Word–even if that takes a couple days.

Balancing Act: Writing With Two Main Characters

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I always knew Capacitance would center around two main characters–from the very first image of inspiration, I knew that the story would involve a romance, and I also knew that I wanted to explore both aspects of that love story, namely both the male and female perspective. By default, the more characters introduced into a story, the more complex it gets, especially if point of view jumps between more than one main character. I have spoke of J.K. Rowling’s masterful handling of this multi-main character challenge in The Casual Vacancy. My story is not as challenging as that since it only concerns two main characters, however, the balance is important to keep readers invested in each of the characters in their own right. 

While writing Capacitance, I more or less stuck to a basic formula of alternating chapters; I would have a Mara chapter then a Runey chapter. These chapters would compliment each other because they would build on the action, but not rehash it. If the narrator never follwed Runey’s tale, the reader would be confused as to Runey’s motives for pursuing Mara, and the love story would not be as fleshed out. By allowing readers to see both sides of the story, they are given more insight and validation for what is happening between Mara and Runey. 

The male protagonist is something that is not always commonly seen in novels. By and large, the majority of today’s readers are women, thus selling to that market is most profitable in the way of book sale numbers. Even in many of today’s bestsellers, the male co-leads are somewhat shallow; you know they are the love interest, and the female lead is beyond dedicated to them, but the story doesn’t really flesh out their characteristics or qualities which make them so compelling. I wanted to create a complicated male co-lead for this series; one that the readers would come to know as innately as Mara. Thus the chapters from Runey’s world show insight into his emotions and way of thought. Writing from the male point of view is a challenge, but I really enjoyed writing Runey’s segment of the story. He has flaws and he makes big mistakes, but ultimately, he becomes a better man for it. 

While writing, I sometimes found myself enjoying Runey’s segments even more than I enjoyed writing Mara. In Chapter 4 we see the first really emotional, inward action on a character’s part, and that is Runey laying in bed with the realization of his loss of Juleia trickling back to him. I related to this scene so deeply and with Runey himself that at first he seemed to almost be taking over as the main character. However, as the story progresses, as you will hopefully someday see, the two really come to balance out and the storylines become equally as compelling, even though I stress out a lot over one not being as exciting as the other. As is so often the answer, the characters will work and speak for themselves and make the story flow as it should. 

One final thing worth mentioning about maintaining this balancing act between two main characters is the use of third person point of view. Since the reader is not being forced to bounce back between two narrative voices, the book has more flow and continuity. The third person narrator bridges the gap between Mara’s chapters and Runey’s chapters creating a cohesion which guides the readers along in a much less disjointed manner. This also makes things less confusing in segments where the two are physically together when a first person voice narrator could get a little tricky. 

Today may be the day I start the final book of the trilogy, so hopefully I can keep my character balance going strong through the final act! I will be posting more on my current writing progress and the in-between books process tomorrow, so stay tuned! 🙂

Progress on Book 2–Inductance 

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What a week it has been for Inductance! It’s hard to believe that just one week ago I was writing about summer slumps and the struggle to stay positive. I suppose some of that positive thought must have made its way into my mind because I came out this week with major progress and am now 2 mere chapters away from finishing my first draft of the novel! 

I suppose the slump of last week arose from the fact that I was getting so close to the end—I knew I wanted the ending to crackle with suspense and get readers excited for the final book in the trilogy. Like always, I doubted myself and my ability to create a sparkling finish, and these doubts held me back. I think it is an important lesson for me to take to heart as a writer that I will have these weeks where I need to spend more time in my head than in front of a computer screen. I can’t expect the plots to always come spilling off my fingertips almost of their own volition. Sometimes the story takes time to develop just right in my mind, and I need to stop letting that frustrate me and accept that part of the process

The main problem I have had is the fact that Inductance has two major plot lines running through it. In my opinion (and I will try not to give any spoilers), one of these storylines has been more exciting than the other. Thus I speed through the exciting storyline with ease, but then when it comes time to turn my attention to the other side of the plot I get discouraged and frustrated wishing it could come as easily as the other. I think is one of those issues like I have talked about in the past where I need to trust my ability as an author; even though the plot seems like it is dragging and not engaging to me, this might not be the case for readers. Inductance is full of suspense, and people who have read from it have said it grips their attention; as an author, I cannot fully appreciate this addictive sense to find out what happens next—I already know! I suppose this is one reason why the plot might seem less exciting in my mind. However, during my slow week of thought, I was able to think of some interesting elements to tie the two storylines together and also inject the “weaker” storyline with some new twists of its own. 

It felt rather strange actually knowing the exact point in the plot where Inductance would end; it was very different than Capacitance. I had no idea when I would end my first novel; I remember one day riding in the car with my Dad (who had been reading as I wrote) and asking him, “I think it might be about done?’ He thought about it for a moment, and said, “Yeah, but give it one more big twist.” So I thought up the twist at the end of the process for Capacitance; with Inductance, I have known all along what the excitement at the end would be. The whole book was building towards it. Thus, I feel less energy and excitement going into my writing this time. Writing the end of Capacitance gave me that shaky adrenaline rush that one gets from doing an extemporaneous speech or improvisational acting—the thrill of the fresh products of your mind. However, the ending of Inductance has been percolating in my mind for quite some time now, so the feeling is very different—but no less awe inspiring being this close to the end of such a massive undertaking.

I say “end” in a very loose sense of the word; I certainly don’t want to say I am finished working on Inductance. Editing is another very real part of the process, but for me, to have the accomplishment of getting the story out on the page after my past struggles with writer’s block, is a cause for celebration. Right now I am working on Chapter 32 of the 33 planned chapters in Inductance. This week was an amazing feat of writing in which I accomplished as many as three chapters in a day—with a goal of writing five chapters this week, I wrote eight—more than making up for last week’s deficit. At 71,000 words currently (20,000 words more than this time last week), Inductance will be a shorter book than Capacitance, but I think this speaks to the tighter, more action packed, less descriptive style of this second installment. I hope everyone has a good weekend—I will post Chapter 4 of Capacitance on Monday, hopefully as celebration of my finishing Inductance!!

Exposition Explication 

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Many of my followers’ comments on the chapters of Capacitance I have posted thus far have concerned the richness of the description of the setting and characters. Certainly exposition has been both a strength and a weakness for me as a writer. I’ve had the tendency to lean on it too heavily, but it has also enriched my storytelling ability (as some of you have pointed out).

There is a fine line between too much and too little exposition. I personally lean towards too much, simply because I enjoy the details. I love picturing a character’s outfit in my mind and describing it on the page. Filling and furnishing the place where a character lives is really fun for me as I was (for a brief semester) an interior design student. It’s just too much fun to give Mara’s penthouse black obsidian rock countertops when I don’t know if this is even possible or practical in real life (I certainly don’t have the budget to find out!). This is the magic of storytelling—as a writer, I have the ability to create whatever I want and place it on the page.

However, as a storyteller I hold a lot of power, and with that power comes responsibility. I have an obligation to the reader to give up some of that creative magic and leave some spaces free of description to allow their minds to fill in the gaps. This is one allure that draws readers to books; reading allows them to exercise their imagination and creativity. The story never looks the same in each individual reader’s mind. Hearkening back to Tolkien, for example, my dad was an avid reader of Lord of the Rings when he was in high school and college. Of course, we went to see the movies (maybe three or four times!) when they came out. My dad commented how different the settings were in the movie as opposed to what he had seen in his mind. He specifically mentioned Rivendell; while Peter Jackson styled the Elvish haven in a classic, fantasy style, Dad had always visualized the dwellings and structures as a more modern architectural style. I have always found this very interesting, and it is a phenomenon made possible by the fact that Tolkien simply did not go into detailed description of the architectural style of Rivendell. Thus, my dad, Peter Jackson, and each reader (whose original vision wasn’t skewed by the movies like mine was) is able to have their own, unique view of the setting.

Capacitance may have too much exposition at times, but I believe it is necessary. It helps draw readers into the world and helps them get closer to the characters. I do not have the enormous burden of a heavy fantasy to build as Tolkien did. Instead, I am attempting in this first installment of the trilogy, to draw readers closer to the characters themselves, to build a connection with them that will carry through in the events to come. Inductance does not have as much exposition. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, the second installment of my trilogy is very action packed and quick paced. In Capacitance, I introduced readers to the characters and showed their potential; now, in Inductance, they are using that potential and events are happening rapidly. I wanted the plot to move fast, and exposition—by default—slows the plot down by forcing readers to take time to consider and visualize.

Tomorrow I will be posting more thoughts on Inductance. I have made a lot of progress this week, and I’m excited to share. Until then, have a wonderful Thursday!

Inspiration from the Master: How J.K. Rowling Has Influenced Me as an Author

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I always joke about “my unpopular opinions,” but today I am going to talk about one of my very popular opinions. It is virtually a universal fact that those of my generation love Harry Potter and admire the woman behind the series, J.K. Rowling. I nearly titled this blog post how Rowling AND the Harry Potter series have influenced me as a writer, but, wanting to keep this blog post to a readable length for those of you perusing over your lunch break, I decided to stick with Rowling herself as there are several admirable traits of her talent that I admire and have taken inspiration from.

First and foremost–accessibility. Rowling’s HP series starts off with Harry as a young boy; I was the same age as Harry when I first read The Sorcerer’s Stone, and as such I could relate to him innately. However, my Mom read the books after I finished them, and she felt drawn into the story just as strongly as I did. This kind of broad readership was achieved through a masterful use of characterization and a wonderful assortment of word choice. It was the outstanding craft of the writing, I believe, which allowed these books to be enjoyed by grade school children and their parents alike. The word choice challenged children and allowed adults to appreciate the elevated nature of the works themselves. I remember reading The Order of the Phoenix and seeing the word “detritus” for the first time–context clues made it obvious that the word referred to the garbage littering Harry’s room, but Rowling’s choice to incorporate such a high level word speaks to her skill to create a breadth of audience.

Versatility is also a very important quality Rowling’s work possessed. As I read the books, I literally grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione through Rowling’s masterful development of these characters from children into young adults–almost verging new adult territory by The Deathly Hallows. To this day, I am still impressed with how she carried this out. A subtle change, book-by-book, a darkening of tone, a deepening of connections. Order of the Phoenix was where this really stood out to me; the world around Harry and his friends had changed so much, but so  had Harry himself–he was starting to grow up. To me, opening up a Harry Potter book was somewhat like coming back to the first day of school after summer break and seeing the subtle changes and maturation in your fellow classmates. Her versatility as an author is not only displayed in HP; I read The Casual Vacancy earlier this year and my awe of Rowling as an author was sealed in its veracity for good. The book was incredible–totally adult, full of engrossing characters, and completely different from HP. This, for me, was what made me love The Casual Vacancy for what it was; Rowling had proved herself capable of going beyond HP as an author, and creating a work with just as much merit. No one else but a true master of words could construct a story surrounding so many main characters and have the reader be deeply invested in them all. The themes of The Casual Vacancy are dark, they are modern, and they are real, thus proving Rowling can pull her own in the realm of contemporary adult fiction as well as YA fantasy.

Finally, one of my favorite ways that J.K. Rowling inspires me–her humor. Throughout the Harry Potter series, I adored Rowling’s interspersion of humorous elements to the text. Particularly her tendency to insert a particular adjective to a sentence to make it hilarious. One of my favorite lines is “Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid…” from the scene in the bathroom with Hermione and the troll. The insertion of the word stupid injects the text with dry humor, which is incredible. This adds to the lighthearted tone the HP series can take on at times; it’s an element that makes the books enjoyable and lovable, and adding touches of humor (especially, dry ironic little adjectives) is something I incorporate into my writing style.

I could keep writing for quite sometime about Rowling as an inspirational author, but I need to get back to the query gauntlet. I will continue to post about authors/books that inspire me on Wednesday as I saw such a great reaction last week. I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s post!

A Lot of Thoughts on a Little Chapter: Writing Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 is a short, sweet little segment. Short, but nonetheless important. On my various attempts to start Capacitance, it was always a downfall of mine to try and insert too much world building right away; I wanted to open by describing the University campus, I wanted to describe Mara inch by detailed inch, etc. However, this is not what readers need–while some appreciate exposition, most do not want to be overloaded with information. They want action and discovery of the character through that action and carefully placed morsels of exposition. Enter Chapter 3; finally writing Capacitance in a sustainable manner, here in Chapter 3 we finally see some of these details come out.The first paragraph gives readers a sense of place as not only the time of year is set, but also the campus itself is fleshed out. This paragraph becomes necessary as this chapter is the segue into the world of the characters on the University–thus, the reader now knows the lay of the land they’ll be navigating. The architecture of the campus buildings is meant to be accessible; although the story is set in the future, I am not going for a spacey, hard sci-fi feel. Throughout the series, I am for a marriage of the familiar and the new.

This hits home even more in the description of Mara’s apartment. The panorama described in the first paragraph was brought into view by a polarized glass which shifts from opaque to clear depending on the time of day–this is obviously an example of speculative technology that most don’t have in their homes today. However, many people (albeit those wealthier than I!) have satin sheets and the luxurious fittings as seen in Mara’s bedroom.

With Mara herself, we don’t see anything too futuristic. I took the morning routine in Chapter 3 as an opportunity to describe her a bit more, and through this description to highlight some of her character attributes. You see that she is very fastidious about her personal appearance as well as being a bit of a wardrobe junkie! This attribute sets her apart from the stereotype–so often we think of the stereotypical female “nerd” with the terrible hairstyle and disheveled appearance, and Mara is breaking this stereotype. Her clothes in specific are another way I am keeping the tone of the story familiar and not too futuristic; the outfit I describe her putting on is vague yet specific, thus it’s a style that anyone could imagine, and it is certainly not outlandish. By playing down the futuristic element, my hope is to bring readers closer to the characters, and, later in the story, perhaps make them feel uncomfortably close to home as events play out.

I am explicating all these things here this morning in great detail, but I will admit something to you all–at the time I was writing Chapter 3, I thought of NONE of these things. They were, of course, abstractions in my mind of the overall theme of the work, but I did not agonize over each sentence, thinking to myself “Ok, I have to have the perfect blend of future and present.” I just wrote. And things flow very naturally when you are confident and know what you’re doing overall. For example, the character Langdon was someone I had never envisioned until the very moment I was writing Chapter 3 and he showed up walking down the hill to catch up with Mara. Who he was and his relationship with Mara just flowed very naturally out of my mind. The day after I had written Chapter 3, I thought to myself, “Wow that was a really stupid choice, Elise, it’s probably terrible.” So I fired up my computer and re-read Chapter 3, and to my surprise it just worked so well. Langdon was completely necessary and I appreciate my writer-instincts for telling me so. He adds another dimension to the world, as well as to Mara’s character–plus, he becomes more important later on…hint, hint! 😉

Isn’t it funny how many thoughts one very short chapter can bring up? I think the main theme–as it usually is–is to be confident in your craft and skill as a writer and let the rest take care of itself. Coming up tomorrow: another post on a book that has inspired me! Cheers! 🙂

On Staying Positive

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Last Friday, going into the weekend, I posted on my Facebook page that I was 43,000 words into Inductance, with plans to write throughout the weekend and make a big push. Naturally, after making this bold statement, I was hit with writer’s block, the story was moving slowly, etc. However, looking at my word count one week later, I am sitting at 51,000 words. 8,000 words in one week is really much better than I felt like I was doing!

What this means to me is that I need to relax and trust the process and not be so critical on myself. Doubts are the fodder of procrastination and fear. Yes, my word count for the week could have been higher, but considering the fact that I also more than doubled the number on my sent queries list AND accomplished 8,000 words, I should be feeling pretty good.

So I am feeling very good on this Friday, and I am looking at another weekend of no plans–which means I can accomplish even more on Inductance this weekend! Yesterday was a huge accomplishment as I finally  hammered out a scene that I was feeling incredibly insecure about; it probably still does not have enough details and more will probably have to be added later, but I did establish some very good relationship-building dialogue between two of my characters that I think was a very important step for believability.

Well, it’s a short post today, but I hope it leaves you all with a positive message! Whether you are a writer or not, staying positive can be an incredible force in your day to day life. When you get down on yourself, that makes it harder to perform to your highest standards. I am striving to look to positive everyday and I know it will lead me to great things both with my writing career and beyond. I will be posting Chapter 3 on Monday! 🙂 Have a great weekend!

Summer Slump

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Summer is my favorite season of the year; I love the warm nights glittering with stars above and fireflies below and the promise of adventure. However, I will admit, it is not the best time of the year for me as a writer. With the coming of June and the onset of summer I have been much busier than winter and spring. When the weather is sunny and beautiful outside, the outdoors beckons. Between impulsive mini vacations and working in my garden, writing has taken a backseat on days when a less seductive season might not have tempted me away from the computer.

However, I can’t fully blame the weather. I will admit, I have been slumping in my writing for other reasons as well. My confidence has been a bit down lately as I am writing really tight, intense action/world building type of scenes almost every chapter. The decisions made in these scenes will ultimately effect the rest of the novel/trilogy. Thus, I am over-analyzing them to death.

This is one deleterious effect of being a “pantser” style author–since you don’t have a definite plan down to the last detail, sometimes you get held up because you come up to something big you haven’t worked out yet. This is definitely what is happening to me. I know all of the characters’ ultimate “big” moves they are working towards right now. However, in the mean time, they need to make decently big, exciting moves to get there. I can’t jump to the conclusion (even though I have the ending of INDUCTANCE planned out and it will be the perfect exciting finish and set up to the final installment).

My challenge now is to think about the present–in the sense of my book–I have been caught up in doubts about the quality of the story right now, but I need to put those aside and trust in my skill as a storyteller. Words to the page is the main thing, and getting words to the page means being confident in yourself. I need to get over this summer slump, trust myself and write. I can feel myself getting more confident already… 🙂

Chapter 2 Thoughts

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As I’m sure many of you have already heard, I really enjoyed writing Chapter 2 of Capacitance. For me, it was where the story really started to flow and I really started to get excited about the action of the story. My first draft of Chapter 2, just like Chapter 1, was drafted on a yellow legal pad one night lying in bed. It was after this night that I knew I was going to have to switch to a computer because my hands wouldn’t be able to accommodate the large amount of writing that was going to take place–I knew from writing this chapter that this was a story I was finally going to tell.

While I had always known that Mara and Runey were going to be part of the story, it wasn’t until much later during my three year stint of writer’s block that I conceived of Juleia. First, I knew that she would be involved with Runey in some way to complicate the romantic plot line. I thought that maybe she would be someone from his art class on the Design campus that he would run into and get involved with after already knowing Mara. Finally–and not too long before I scrawled out the chapter–I decided on the current way their relationship is set up. Thus the character of Runey is complex from the beginning; the reader sees him going through this awful situation where he has to break up with his girlfriend on the spot, yet they also see his intense dedication to the Restorationists. By setting up my male lead in this way, it creates a more multidimensional character; without the complication of Juleia, Runey is just a young man who is assigned to get closer to a young woman. Interesting, yes, but not quite as dramatic!

The setting and the action in this scene was entertaining as well. I loved creating that dark, mysterious atmosphere. Many readers have commented on the description of my scenes and how they feel as if they are in the Seminar Hall, or the Underground, etc. This is excellent feedback! I sometimes worry that I include too much description. For me, there is no such thing, but for some readers it can get a bit tedious. However, I am glad that most seem to be enjoying it thus far. Another aspect of description I enjoyed creating in this chapter was the action between the characters. Juleia’s hair curtaining her face, the subtle hand gestures and reactions of the Professor, etc. I think this is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this chapter so much–all these little actions that speak so loudly. The first chapter was a lot of introspection and little action (by default, since Mara was sitting in class). Chapter 2 hopefully draws readers in with the promise of more action to come.

With that being said, some criticism I have received for Chapter 2 is that it does jump in too fast. I heard this from an agent who looked over my first three chapters. I thought that was an interesting critique as readers/agents usually want to be drawn into the action immediately. If anyone else felt this way while they were reading, please let me know! Personally (and I am obviously biased) I consider this chapter to whirl the reader deeper into the world of Capacitance. Yes, it may be a little disorienting at first, but that is natural for the reader–plus, it adds to the sensation I was trying to develop with the chapter. Runey and Juleia themselves are both a little confused and disoriented as they descend to their meeting with the Professor. By tossing the reader into the situation as well, it puts their mind in the same place as the characters they are reading about.

Once again, thanks to everyone who has been checking out my chapters! I will probably post Chapter 3 on Monday. I am not sure how many chapters I will post overall–I can’t post the whole book, sorry! 😦 –but how many I post depends on how much support and following they are getting, so if you like what you’ve been reading, tell a friend or two! 🙂

Capacitance: Chapter 2

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Happy Monday! I’m so excited to post Chapter 2; it was one of my favorite chapters to write. Having two main characters is fun because it allows me to write–and readers to experience–the same world from two different perspectives. I will post more musings on Chapter 2 tomorrow, but for now, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 2

 

At the same moment, elsewhere on campus, two figures descended a narrow, winding flight of metal stairs. The stairwell was dimly lit and the irregularly placed lights cast shadows on the two figures; one was male—very tall and angular in build—the other was female and was much shorter but just as slender. In between, their hands were clasped in one another’s. The girl’s voice was nearly swallowed up by the close stairwell walls around her as she whispered, “But are you sure they didn’t say—“

”No, Jules, I told you already. All the Professor said was to meet him in the conference room tonight, and to bring you. That’s it. That’s all I know,” the man interrupted his companion’s query in a steady tone. The girl then remained silent as the two continued down the numerous flights of stairs. They were heading deep underground, even deeper than the Science students’ labs, and the air began to take on a distinct chill. Finally, the pair reached a primitive passageway of rough hewn stone which was marked by rows of blue floor lights on each side. Following these lights, they stopped in front of a gray metal door. The man placed his palm on the door and instantly the floor lights at their feet turned green as the door slid open with a soft whoosh. Once the two stepped over the threshold, the gray door immediately slid shut and they were enclosed in a cement floored hallway with gray walls and floodlights every few feet providing ample lighting to read the numbered metal doors which marched down either side of the hall. However, the couple walked forward past all the doors, hands still entwined, until they reached the end of the hallway where a pair of nondescript double doors faced them.

“Should I knock?” the tall man asked the girl, and the floodlights showed a warm, joking smile on his face.

“Like you said, they will be expecting us,” the girl returned, giving him a familiarly playful nudge as she moved forward to open the doors. The room they entered—the Conference Room—was in stark contrast to the well-lit corridor; with the exception of a lone lamp on the long metal table, and the dim blue-black glow of a large computer projection screen on the wall, the room was thick with darkness,.

“Runey, Juleia, sit down,” a disembodied voice from the darkness instructed them as they moved towards the table. For the first time, the two broke hands as they pulled out metal folding chairs. As they sat down to the table, the speaker in the room came into view by the light of the one lamp. He was a man of about 60 years old with tanned skin, salt and pepper hair and a scruffy goatee; he wore round rimless glasses and a tweed suit complete with leather elbow patches.

The young man, Runey, broke into a smile and reached across the table to shake his hand, “How are ya, Prof?”

“I am well. Quite well, thank you, Runey. And I think you will be pleased also once you hear this truly exciting assignment I have for you,” the Professor said as he watched the pair’s reaction across the table. Runey, at first glance, seemed utterly at ease—the cheerful greeting, the casual running of his hand through his short shag of auburn hair—but upon closer inspection he was clearly the picture of professionalism—his upright posture and the alertness in his eyes cued into a keen sense of curiosity and energy. He also seemed to put the girl beside him, Juleia, at ease; her deep brown eyes had cleared considerably since the two sat down at the table and now the mischievous confidence the Professor knew in her was starting to show again through the playful turn of her lips as she watched the two men greet each other. “I suppose you are wondering why I have brought you all the way down here tonight. It is, after all, not a scheduled meeting night,” the Professor began. Runey and Juleia nodded back, but said nothing, urging him to continue his explication.

“At the risk of being repetitive, you two know that you belong to a group that is unlike any other in this University—indeed this nation! At this institution of learning and throughout the country and the world, you are constantly told that things are the way they should be; that life as we know it is utopia in all but name. When one hears that they are living in perfection, they become numb to curiosity, dull to different thoughts. As you well know, the purpose of our organization is to question ‘perfection,’ and this has led us to look to the past. Our world has been flawed for quite some time, but we believe that change comes not only through new ideas, but from past examples! That is, as you know, why we are called Restorationists—just as a museum curator restores a great masterpiece, we wish to restore this nation to its former equality and greatness. I do apologize…I digress. I am waxing poetic due to this extremely promising mission my colleagues and I have planned for you, Runey. If this mission succeeds, it could be the turning point for us,” the Professor finished earnestly. The three sat in silence for a moment, Runey and Juleia looking back at the Professor expectantly as his dark eyes quietly surveyed the pair in return, his hands steepled under his chin.

Finally, he continued, “It is all catalyzed by the University initiative for students from all the colleges to come together. My colleagues and I in the Association of Professors have been pushing for a project such as this for years. We pushed for it so hard and argued so persuasively, that when the University Board of Directors finally approved it, they had forgotten it wasn’t their idea in the first place. We wanted an opportunity to mix and infiltrate into the Science students. Science is where the big government machinations really happen—not in Politics—without Science, the government wouldn’t have the heavy weight on their side as they do now. Anyway, the infiltration will begin tomorrow, several hundred feet above where we sit right now, on the Campus Green.”

“You make this sound like such an important deal, but the thing is, we can go up the hill to Science and talk to them any time we want—it’s not like a restricted sector or anything. What is so important about this meeting tomorrow?” Juleia suddenly asked.

“Because, Juleia, this makes the mixing officially sanctioned. You know the government watches everything that goes in and out of SciSky and the Science compound—as well as most everything that goes on within. With the University-wide community project, sanctioned by the Board of Directors, we are essentially free to infiltrate Science with the permission of the government!” the Professor answered and leaned back in his chair contentedly.

“What specific role do we play in this? Why did you call us down here?” Runey asked, his deep blue eyes narrowing with interest. Juleia nodded in agreement with his question.

A look of trepidation flickered briefly across the Professor’s face as he straightened in his chair and said, “Well, let’s get into the heart of the matter then, shall we…” He powered on a slender silver computer tablet on the table, and the projection screen on the wall lit up. At first the screen was a stock image of the Restorationist’s symbol, but then that faded away as the Professor tapped on the tablet screen and was replaced with a photo. It was a University ID badge photo; each student in the University had an ID badge which they used to gain access to areas of their college which were restricted to others, their dormitories, or to scan their attendance at class or other mandatory events. This ID photo displayed a young woman with long, shiny black hair framing a beautiful face whose fine features and high cheekbones created a perfect setting for unusually striking pale green eyes. Runey and Juleia studied the picture interestedly, but the confusion still had not cleared from their faces.

Once the photo was loaded, the Professor continued speaking, “This is Mara. First year Science student. Top of her class. Identification number 8946320. She is, my sources and colleagues confirm, working on a project which is highly government sensitive. She is the key to our infiltration being successful. Bring her alone over to the Restorationists and you’ve as good as brought over all the knowledge of Science, and potentially brought the government to its knees!”

“Yes, but how are Runey and I supposed to do that?” Juleia piped up once again as Runey sat quietly in thought, studying the picture of Mara.

The Professor sighed almost inaudibly, his former excitement deflated instantly at Juleia’s question, “Juleia, I know that you and Runey were a couple long before you joined the organization; however, you knew upon joining that there would be sacrifices to be made for the advancement of our cause,” the Professor said gently, and Juleia crossed her arms in front of her as if bracing for what he would say next. “My colleagues in the Science department have monitored Mara extensively; as surely as they are convinced she is our key to success, they are equally sure that she will not be won over easily. From what they tell me, the girl is a hard worker to the point of mania—nothing gets her out of her lab, her work is her life. Thus, we have come to the conclusion that she can’t be reached through blunt means. This will require a sweeping and deep effort to win her over truly and fully to our side.”

At this point Juleia sighed loudly at the long-winded and hazy explanation; Runey took her hand reassuringly and said, “Get to the point, Prof.”

The Professor shook his head, “As hard as it is for me to say it, the point is that my colleagues and I have come to the conclusion that our best chance to get Mara on our side is to make her fall in love with a young man in our organization, and, Runey, you were the one we decided on. I know this is an immense sacrifice for you and Juleia, but it will also yield great rewards if successful—you, Runey, are the most deserving of our young members for these honors, this coupled with our faith in you are the reasons we chose you for this assignment.” The Professor’s final words fell heavily on the dense silence in the room.

Suddenly the silence was interrupted by the metal shriek and clang as Juleia violently got up, overturning her folding chair to the ground, “I can’t believe this! Runey and I have been together for FOUR YEARS! You can’t just take him away over some stupid little girl from Science—you need to find someone else! Find someone else! Find someone else!” Juleia screamed, her brown eyes blazing with hot fury and tears as she rounded on the Professor.

“It’s already been decided, Juleia,” the Professor said solemnly, still seated at the table.

“Find…someone…else,” Juleia hissed menacingly, leaning across the table towards the Professor. At that, Runey stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her back to their side of the table. At his touch, Juleia started shaking and collapsed back into another folding chair, head bowed, her waist length chestnut hair falling forward making a curtain around her face as the tears fell. Runey drug his chair over closer to Juleia who looked up at him with eyes whose fury had been quenched by pooling tears as she whispered, “Rune, you’re not really going to do this, are you? It’s just you and me, remember?”

Runey grabbed both her hands tight between his and hung his head so their foreheads were nearly touching, “Jules, baby, I have to…” he whispered sadly but firmly. He held her close silently for a few precious seconds which weighed on him like small eternities, then straightened up and looked at the Professor, “How does this begin?”

“Right…” the Professor smoothed the front of his coat and fixed his gaze on Runey, “First, you must say goodbye to Juleia. She will still be one of your student colleagues in the school of Design, but in order for your mission to succeed, you must truly end your relationship with her for the moment,” the Professor pressed some buttons on his tablet, and the conference room door opened, allowing a shaft of light into the darkness. A young man appeared in the doorway. “Thomas will take you back to your dormitory, Juleia, and I will fully brief Runey after your departure,” the Professor said as the young man in the doorway moved across the room to Juleia’s side.

Slowly, Juleia stood up from her chair. First, she turned to Runey, “Runey, I understand why you are doing this, but I will never understand how you could do this to us. I love you, I will always love you—please don’t forget the love I know you have for me.” The young man, Thomas, put a hand on her arm to move her towards the door, but she shook it off and turned towards the Professor with an expression that was a pure marriage of malice and pain, “And you…I will never forgive you for this.”

With that, Thomas led Juleia out of the room, and as the door closed behind them, the Professor—apparently unruffled—turned back to face Runey, “Now, as you well know, the meeting is tomorrow on the Campus Green. My colleagues and I have arranged that you and Mara will be in the same group—“

“They’re putting us in groups?” Runey interjected.

“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you completely. They are starting the ‘experiment’ out by forming groups of four; one student from each of the colleges in each group. I think they will have you all work on a project together over the course of the year, but that doesn’t matter. What really matters is your developing relationship with Mara; because tomorrow is when it needs to start developing. I know I can count on you, Runey. You’ve shown great dedication to our program, and not just tonight. So tomorrow, your challenge begins!” The Professor finished exultantly.

“Prof, aren’t there anymore steps or points you need to brief me on before tomorrow? Am I just supposed to go into the thing blind?” Runey asked, “Honestly, I’ve been blindsided by this whole night, and now tomorrow I’m just supposed to go fall in love with some girl?” Runey laughed half-heartedly and crossed his muscular arms.

The Professor smiled, “There is no instruction manual to love, nor was love gained in one day. Tomorrow is a beginning, and while we will be checking in together frequently, this is an act you are going to play unscripted. I can offer this advice, however, get to know her work; it’s helpful to us, and from the sounds of it, could be the wellspring of her passion.”

“Got it. Mind if I go now? Been rather a long night with you down here,” Runey said, struggling to maintain an amiable, light tone, but the Professor could see the emotional strain starting to wear at the young man, and his frequent glances toward the door were a very telling sign that he would be instantly on his way to find Juleia if released now.

“Just a moment, Runey. Enough talking shop, let’s you and I have a drink—I think we both need one,” the Professor said, producing two glasses and a decanter out of the shadows.

“I think you are right,” Runey said, accepting his full glass and raising it, “Cheers, Prof,” he said with a tight smile.

“To tomorrow morning—the beginning of their end,” the Professor toasted, and the two drank deeply, the amber liquid in their glasses illuminated by the projection screen where Mara’s ID badge shot was still displayed above them.