Skip to main content

Jack of all Worlds

This morning, on what's for me a very long run (10 miles), a story idea popped into my head.  It was a highly unusual occurrence.

Not that having a story idea pop in my head is unusual--no, that can happen almost any time for me, but not so much when running.  While running, I kind of space out and focus on breathing.  On occasion I pray, as in: "Please, please, God let me survive the next mile!"

Ahem.  Anyway, the idea is based on the way I've heard some handymen-type-guys describe themselves: "I'm a jack of all trades, the master of none."

Once this phrase popped into my head, I thought to myself, Wouldn't it be cool if there were a multi-world universe, like The Crystal Portal, with a main character who felt fairly comfortable in all of the worlds, but not truly at home in any one of them?  His name could be "Jack" and the books could be entitled, "Jack of all Worlds, Book 1, Book 2, etc."  That might make a good set of books!


Of course, since I was running, the flow of thought was more like:  Wouldn't it be cool...if there were...(pant pant)...a multi-world...(pant pant)...universe...(pant pant).  But I think you get the idea...

As for the story idea, like all the ideas I put in this blog, it's up for grabs.  If anyone wants to make a "Jack of all Worlds" book series, be my guest.  Assuming of course, someone else hasn't already done so...

ttp

Comments

  1. Caprice HokstadSeptember 14, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    I'd be praying for breath too. Only thing to figure out is how someone could feel comfortable but not "at home". What would normally constitute "belonging" and how would one be comfortable without belonging? Not expecting you to have answers. Just thinking out loud. Good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Captain TravisSeptember 14, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Caprice, I think this experience is one I can empathize with. I grew up in Montana and absolutely love that state...but I'm also really interested in foreign language and culture, which is not really Montana. So when I go there, I more or less fit it, but not completely. I like being there, but it is not completely comfortable because I'm interested in things and have opinions unlike most of the people who live there.

    A "Jack of all Worlds" character would have to be easily proficient in foreign languages, quick to learn and adopt cultural norms, probably would have visited multiple worlds growing up, even. So he could blend in casually, but he'd find himself making little gaffs from time to time, getting small things not quite right--mistakes that would show themselves to people the more time he spent around them. Which he would respond to by being a drifter from world to world, but which would also leave him longing for a place where he could relax and be himself...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Ways to Deal with the Problem Magic Poses Christian Fantasy Writers

First off, what is the problem with magic for Christians? Or sorcery? Or witchcraft? (Are all of those things even the same?) An entire book could be written on this topic (perhaps I'll do that someday) but to keep this as brief as possible, the short reason this is a problem is the Bible has nothing good to say about the practice of magic (neither does extra-Biblical Christian tradition). No translation of Scripture will record the 12 Disciples watching Jesus walk on the water and say, "Wow, that was magical!" Nor is the mana falling from heaven in Israel's wilderness wanderings described as some kind of powerful spell that Moses used, nor even is his rod described as "magic," even though Moses had the power granted to him by God to turn it into a serpent at whatever time he chose. No, the Bible describes events like these as "miracles," or "signs," or "wonders." On the other hand, when the Bible talks about "mag
17 comments
Read more

Speculative Fiction Writer’s Guide to War, part 19: War Costs: Soldiers’ Pay

The Travis’ are back with another installment of our series on Warfare. We’ve been analyzing a writer’s perspective on calculating the cost of war, developing some tools and thumbrules you might start with when calculating the cost of war in your story, and seeing how this mundane task can yield helpful ideas for your writing. At the very least, your effort to make your warfare come across as thoughtful and realistic (by your story world’s gauge of consistency) will be appreciated by the discerning uber-fans your serving.  Travis C here. Last time we left off with a detailed approach to calculating how much food both human and non-human fighters might consume and began a illustration using those calculations to gauge the financial impact of war in a fictional world. Our purpose wasn’t to delve into all possible fine details, but to give you an example where doing a bit of math can provide some values for you to work from. This week we’re going to dive into another significant expenditu
Post a Comment
Read more

Nanite Infested Aliens

Inspired by the history of Europeans coming to the New World carrying bacteria to which the native inhabitants had little to no immunity, I thought: "What if aliens visiting Earth carried their own sort of infection or infestation, to which we humans had no immunity?" Sort of a War of the Worlds scenario in reverse... But I'm sure that sort of thing has already been done by someone, aliens carrying virulent disease(s) humans don't carry. So what if the infestation were of nanites--what  if nanites become a standard part of healthcare for any advanced technological species? (Just as hand washing and sterilization of medical instruments become standard at a certain point of development--once bacteria are discovered and found to be potentially harmful.) So that nanites are literally crawling all over (and inside) the bodies of high-tech aliens (or perhaps time travelers from Earth's distant future). What if these nanites potentially posed a risk to the human race?
Post a Comment
Read more