I’m also struggling to learn how to incorporate faith into my writing. Brian Godawa, the author of Cruel Logic has podcasts and books about doing it well. Basically, don’t beat the reader over the head with it.
I think you struck the right balance with the Little Robot. The message is not obvious unless you’re looking for it, but the longing for Lucas’ return resonates with a deep chord.
Someday, I’d like to use my directed fiction technique to address supernatural events and Christian prophecy… but I’ve got a long way to go and a lot to learn until then!
Now Charlie is stranded on a basically uninhabited planet. He’s in terrible shape, and I can’t imagine that there’s any hope of him being repaired... his battery power must be nearly spent. This is bad, Macy. Really bad.
But an innovative author always seems to find a miraculous way to save the day. The thing I keep thinking about is the honey bees... they were supposed to be extinct. How could they still be here? We’re a few just overlooked and repopulated the planet? Or is there some other intelligence at work on that planet busy restoring things?
Apocalypse? How did life on earth recover after catastrophe made the dinosaurs go extinct? Is there something amazing and awesome and (for now) unimaginable at work?
If the earth posesses a restorative intelligence that can replace dinosaurs with mammals, what would happen to a new earth rebuilt containing a little robot?
As for Lucas, he simply MUST return someday and provide some closure for this important relationship. Maybe when he grows to be a man? Maybe Lucas remembers Charlie and merges his consciousness with machines (though I’m not a big fan of transhumanism) and returns to meet Charlie 10,000 years in the future? Something, anything, but it just CAN’T be the last time they see each other!
What an in-depth assessment, Tim! You're right, Charlie and Lucas' story isn't quite over but as to how and when they'll see each other again...that's the big question that'll get answered next time. I'm also excited to delve into more of the worldbuilding this week! It's not as wild as your theories about what happened to humanity and the planet since it's just a two-part series 😅, but hopefully, it'll be enough to satisfy your curiosity. For some speculative stories, I'm particularly interested in exploring how a certain tech or event might affect the course of human history, but for this story, I was more intent on capturing the friendship between Charlie and Lucas.
Is there a particular subgenre of sci-fi (cyberpunk, space opera, apocalyptic, time travel, etc) you're especially a fan of? Or sci-fi books that have particularly touched you? I'm thinking of adding more speculative stories to the newsletter!
Beyond that, I love anything with airships. Most airships appear in the Steampunk genre, with an amazing series called “The Guns Above” from the Diesel Punk genre. I’ve got one good science fiction series with airships on another planet called the “Cinder Spires” by Jim Butcher. Lots of nonfiction airship books like “The Zepplin in Combat” etc. if you ever write a fiction story with airships and you need a subject matter expert, let me know.
Most importantly, as a Christian author, I am passionate about books that reveal the Christian supernatural world view. Although I hate thriller/horror stories, one of the guys I follow, Brian Godawa, has recently released a superb, amazing, novel called Cruel Logic https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Logic-Philosopher-Theological-Thriller/dp/B0CHL1FXTR
Blending real-life forecasts and fiction through Directed fiction sounds intriguing. I'll have to check it out!
Thanks for sharing about Cruel Logic. I'm thinking of incorporating faith into my next historical fiction series coming next month, so I'm trying to read more faith-based novels for inspiration. :)
I think Chalie is damaged but possibly repairable. Mostly because of the title. His state depends on a couple of things: did he exhaust all power saving Lucas? Was he crushed by the falling building.
It’s wonderful how quickly and vividly you built that world. Congrats on your honorable mention in the Lunar Awards!
Thank you, Larry!
Thanks, Macy! Scott Cahan recommended your story and I'm just getting to it now. I loved part one and I'm looking forward to the rest of the story!
Thank you, Shawn!! I'm excited for you to read it. :))
I still miss the family dog we got when I was nine years old. He was really my dog and followed me around the house and slept on my bed.
Childhood pets are something special ❤️ My sister and I had four chickens as kids, and we still miss them to this day.
I’m so glad I found this story. I loved every word. Looking forward to continuing on to chapter 2. Thanks for sharing it, Macy!
Thank you for your kind words, Scott! Part II and III are both out now if you'd like to read on!
Part II: https://macyseestheworld.substack.com/p/the-little-robot-who-waited-part-89d
Part III: https://macyseestheworld.substack.com/p/the-little-robot-who-waited-part-646
I’m also struggling to learn how to incorporate faith into my writing. Brian Godawa, the author of Cruel Logic has podcasts and books about doing it well. Basically, don’t beat the reader over the head with it.
I think you struck the right balance with the Little Robot. The message is not obvious unless you’re looking for it, but the longing for Lucas’ return resonates with a deep chord.
Someday, I’d like to use my directed fiction technique to address supernatural events and Christian prophecy… but I’ve got a long way to go and a lot to learn until then!
Appreciate the feedback!
Really creative and engaging Macy. Looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks, Matthew 🙂
Now Charlie is stranded on a basically uninhabited planet. He’s in terrible shape, and I can’t imagine that there’s any hope of him being repaired... his battery power must be nearly spent. This is bad, Macy. Really bad.
But an innovative author always seems to find a miraculous way to save the day. The thing I keep thinking about is the honey bees... they were supposed to be extinct. How could they still be here? We’re a few just overlooked and repopulated the planet? Or is there some other intelligence at work on that planet busy restoring things?
Apocalypse? How did life on earth recover after catastrophe made the dinosaurs go extinct? Is there something amazing and awesome and (for now) unimaginable at work?
If the earth posesses a restorative intelligence that can replace dinosaurs with mammals, what would happen to a new earth rebuilt containing a little robot?
As for Lucas, he simply MUST return someday and provide some closure for this important relationship. Maybe when he grows to be a man? Maybe Lucas remembers Charlie and merges his consciousness with machines (though I’m not a big fan of transhumanism) and returns to meet Charlie 10,000 years in the future? Something, anything, but it just CAN’T be the last time they see each other!
What an in-depth assessment, Tim! You're right, Charlie and Lucas' story isn't quite over but as to how and when they'll see each other again...that's the big question that'll get answered next time. I'm also excited to delve into more of the worldbuilding this week! It's not as wild as your theories about what happened to humanity and the planet since it's just a two-part series 😅, but hopefully, it'll be enough to satisfy your curiosity. For some speculative stories, I'm particularly interested in exploring how a certain tech or event might affect the course of human history, but for this story, I was more intent on capturing the friendship between Charlie and Lucas.
Is there a particular subgenre of sci-fi (cyberpunk, space opera, apocalyptic, time travel, etc) you're especially a fan of? Or sci-fi books that have particularly touched you? I'm thinking of adding more speculative stories to the newsletter!
Well, my favorite sub genre is Directed Fiction (which I invented) https://open.substack.com/pub/directedfiction?r=1lt81j&utm_medium=ios
Beyond that, I love anything with airships. Most airships appear in the Steampunk genre, with an amazing series called “The Guns Above” from the Diesel Punk genre. I’ve got one good science fiction series with airships on another planet called the “Cinder Spires” by Jim Butcher. Lots of nonfiction airship books like “The Zepplin in Combat” etc. if you ever write a fiction story with airships and you need a subject matter expert, let me know.
Most importantly, as a Christian author, I am passionate about books that reveal the Christian supernatural world view. Although I hate thriller/horror stories, one of the guys I follow, Brian Godawa, has recently released a superb, amazing, novel called Cruel Logic https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Logic-Philosopher-Theological-Thriller/dp/B0CHL1FXTR
Blending real-life forecasts and fiction through Directed fiction sounds intriguing. I'll have to check it out!
Thanks for sharing about Cruel Logic. I'm thinking of incorporating faith into my next historical fiction series coming next month, so I'm trying to read more faith-based novels for inspiration. :)
I'm looking forward to the next part!
Thanks Jeffrey!
I think Chalie is damaged but possibly repairable. Mostly because of the title. His state depends on a couple of things: did he exhaust all power saving Lucas? Was he crushed by the falling building.
Those are good points, Mark! I still have plans for both of them but more on that next week 🤫.
Amazing, really loved it. I want to know what’s next! Will you turn this into a book?
Thanks, Alexander! Probably just a two parter for now 🤗