I have a good idea for a novel. I'm an experienced writer who's been published, but I've never wrote anything very long as I have trouble committing so this is a first for me. The story is set 400 years into the future, with ~75 planets in the galaxy and three distinct regions. The protagonist is a young (18) alien male from a distant planet who was forced to leave due to civil war. His mother sent him away frantically onto a shuttle when their city was about to become a casualty of war. He lands on a criminal-infested cesspool of a planet but meets others like him, refugees scraping a living. He makes most of his money through gambling and card games, but occassionally sells drugs or does odd jobs as well. He is very poor and doesn't have much luck with the ladies. The planet is run by the mobsters and gangsters, who live very glamorously and abuse everyone else. The government officials also live lavishly and are usually bribed to turn a blind eye. Sloak sees a way out in a dangerous expedition to a colony on the outskirts of the galaxy. Gangsters wish to make use of the planet's hidden location and good temperature to setup a major growing operation. Sloak is unaware of this, and only wishes to colonize the planet in search of a better life. On this planet, he gets embroiled in many battles, conflicts, etc. Now to the question here, which is a better point in the story to start at: 1) Escape from home planet. 2) Arrival on criminal planet. 3) Already working on criminal planet, and explain the rest of the story as the book goes on. 4) Prologue on home planet, and then jump to 1-3. Help me out, guys, I really want to start writing!
So because it takes place on a foreign planet and has something to do with resources, its automatically a copy of Avatar? Are you serious? You do realize that every single story is the same as a 1,000 other stories, the only thing that differs is the details yea? Don't listen to the haters dude, write the story and see what happens.
Just did this now after a fat bowl. Didn't get to edit it yet. Is it a keep? Chapter 1 Sloak stepped out of the corner store with a cold beer between his hands. There were some stronger spirits in his bookbag, and he was ready for a crazy night to celebrate the winter break. And winter it was, with a chilling wind that cut to the bone. Snow had yet to fall, as Sloak and his family lived in a rather dry area on the planet of Aurelis. He had a heavy black coat on and a hood thrown over his head. Sloak checked his watch, 20:00. He had another hour to make it to the party, but knowing how things worked, nothing good would pick up until probably around midnight, when the girls get so shitfaced they can't tell their boyfriend from the next guy over. Sloak smiled slyly; that was the job of the alcohol he bought. Sloak crossed the street, waiting for his friend's car. by a pole taped to the top with advertisements. A low rumble filled the street, a flock of seagulls flew over his head. He heard a high-pitched whine, resembling a whistle, and his heart began to race. A second later, an explosion rocked the street in front of him. Fshwooh! The glass of the front car burst from the pressure and the car went up in an explosion. A second artillery shell struck a grocery store on the other side of the street, blowing a hole through the top and sending the place into flames. Screams filled the streets. Sloak's heart raced. Everyone had been panicking over the war. A year ago, when Aurelis defaulted on debts accumulated during the Trade Union's costly war, militant guerillas funded by various international powers managed to cause a major uprising and government soldiers constantly clashed with the rebels in the deep jungles and swamps of the planet. Few urban areas had been targeted as of yet. It had always seemed so far away, and now his city was under attack. Sloak ran as fast as he could, through the street narrowly missing a speeding minivan. He heard several other shells slam into ground close to him, but ignored it. He ran into an alley he knew well. His home was a few blocks away and he hoped to get to it soon to see his family. A shell exploded on his right, destroying an expensive brownstone house. Debris shot in all directions and a flying brick struck Sloak in the ankle. "AHH!!!" he yelled in pain and fell to the ground clutching his foot. There was a major cut with blood gushing and his pants were starting to turn red. He gritted his teeth and tried to put pressure on his other foot, eventually finding his balance. Smoke was everywhere and sirens and screams were the only discernible sounds in the chaos. He did his best to run, but his foot allowed for only a slight stagger. He reached a wall that he usually leaped over and jumped, barely holding on to the top. He tried his hardest to pull himself up and when he saw the dirt road on the other side, he fell onto his chest to absorb the impact and spare his feet. He could see his house across the street. The door was open, and his mother was staring out in panic. Everybody seemed to be scrambling to assemble their family. "Mikor!" Son. Sloak's dad screamed, running out of the house and rushing to his aid. "Are you okay, son?" he asked, extending his hand. His father was a construction worker, and hadn't changed from his clothes. He still even had his helmet and company t-shirt on. "I cut my ankle pretty badly. I need-" Sloak wanted to ask for a band-aid, but a shell flew into the ground only a few dozen meters away from him, sending debris and smoke in all directions. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Sloak's father finished for him, hoisting his son up and rushing him to the family car. His mother was already inside and greeted with him a strong hug as his father gassed the pedal. "We're going to the evacuation center. Hopefully we can get a ticket out of here. I brought E5,000 for us. I hope it's enough, son," Sloak's mother explained. She was also a hardworking woman, and had refused to become a housewife. Sloak was an only child. He pulled up his pants to show the wound. "I cut myself running home," he told her. She quickly poured out some disinfectant onto the wound and slapped a giant band-aid over it. "That's the best I can for now...take this," his mother said, handing him a wooden cane. It was his grandfather's, who had passed away three years ago, and Sloak hadn't planned to be dependent on it so soon. "The highway is jammed, we need to go through the streets," Sloak's father said, and his mother silently nodded. All over the city, desperate souls rounded up the dead and tried to save whatever was left. It was unknown whether or not an actual land invasion was going to occur, or if the city was "just" going to be victim to a massive artillery barrage. Eventually, they reached a heavily crowded dome surrounded by protective turrets which occassionally fired a round of bullets to intercept incoming shells. Guards in white uniforms and gas masks directed the traffic into a central area. A group of armed guards forced Sloak and his family out of the vehicle and directed them towards a collection area. "Shuttles are that way," Sloak's mother read a holo-map, pointing in the opposite direction. A constant rumbling was coming from the launch field, and every 15 minutes an armored spaceship shot high into the air propelled by its giant engines. A woman admitted the family. "I'm sorry, but all shuttles are full. They are for government personnel only at this point," she said, clipping her nails. Sloak wanted to punch her through the glass. The corruptness of the locals sickened him. "We'll offer you E1,000 per person," Sloak's father offered. This was a large sum of money, probably equivalent to what the receptionist's monthly wage was. She gave off some kind of snort, rolling her eyes and making a secretive motion upwards with her thumb. "2,000," Sloak's father said. Panic struck his son. This meant that only two of them could go. The woman thought for a second, and then put up her hand with her thumb tucked into her palm. Sloak's father turned to his son. "You must go." Sloak disagreed. "No, we stay in this together!" "There's no time, the shuttle leaves in five minutes. You're the only one of us who can leave. You have your whole life ahead of you. Your mother and I have lived most of our years, but you need to go on with your life." Sloak's jaw almost dropped, but he realized from his parents' expressions that the decision was made. He didn't know where the shuttle was going, or how long it would take, but years later as an old man reflecting on his life he'd realize that if he'd gone to any place but exactly where he was going, things would've been completely different. He steadied his shaking hands and stepped through the weapons scanner with his suitcase on the rolling track.