Once again, it's an original title. Possibly this is down to the fact that this blog gets pretty much nothing going to it and as a result updating is all I do, but it may also be down to the fact I struggle with titles.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic already, and what I was planning on writing about was my latest writing developments. Admittedly, there haven't been many, but there have been a few.
First: Labyrinthine Ways. After almost 8 years mucking about with it, it's taking more of a back seat these days to other, more instantly accessible projects. That said, I am still working on it, and now the backstory and world-creation aspect is just getting to the point I want it to be at. Any fantasy tale in a new realm needs to have an 'old world' which feels established from the very first page, and with all this in mind I reckon I'm doing OK with my creation. My plan for this is to get writing in earnest again when the summer break from uni comes, whilst in the mean time I'll be focusing on other, smaller projects which will require less time.
The Ambassador is one of those projects. I envisage a short story of around 3,500-5,000 words focusing on the first extra-Solar System mission using a long-range probe. I need to get my head around the science and the maths, but I already have a first draft, which gives me a reasonable idea of where I'm going.
Another idea that's been playing around my head of late has been the concept of a space opera featuring two planets with cultures directly opposed to each other. Where one is a liberal, athiest state, the other is a fundamentalist religious planet where the holy men rule through superstition and fear. I'll admit to having no clue about a plot, but just having a setting like that is fairly useful.
At this point it may be worth saying that my first short story to be published looks like being published as a part of the Northumbria Writers' Society anthology. Curiously, I also edit it :P
