FROM THE DUST - PROLOGUE - PART ONE ~ THIS IS MY FIRST BOOK SO PLEASE OFFER UP YOUR SUPPORT!
@TERMINALLYILL PRESENTS...
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Well my friends, I am still alive and well, despite the fact that I have not posted on the @terminallyill account for quite some time. Selflessness is the best excuse that I have for not getting material pushed through on here, as I have been incredibly busy building the @greetersguild, @breakthecycle and @fundthefuture projects, as well as my real life job which takes a great deal of my time renovating homes. With so much growth and prosperity coming into the guild, I have had my hands full, needless to say. Thankfully, I have finally found some time to breathe and put some much needed focus into a possible career that I am considering going after, writing. Since using the Steemit platform, I have become rather fond of writing and the work that it entails, to be completely honest. After some months of honing my skills and getting properly accustomed to Steemit, things have taken a positive change once again in my life. After years of soul searching I have finally found something driving me from within that I could even make a living doing. I finally have that fire lighting in my soul and a deep passion burning inside of me again!
With that said, I think its time to go ahead and unveil the fruit of my passions and labors. This publication is a portion of a fictional piece that I have been writing for the past few weeks that is the first book in a multi novel series. This is the first portion of the prologue for my novel "From The Dust", an intense post apocalyptic thriller based in a world gone to waste, beginning only two decades from our current timeline. This prologue is intended to set a detailed scene and paint a vivid picture for my readers, preparing them for the incredible story to follow. Please, for those curating, take it easy on me, as this is the first time I have written a fictional piece aside from storytelling for Dungeons and Dragons. Though I have never written a book (or many stories), I am confident in my progress with this piece and hope that all of you find the material enjoyable and well done. I can only hope the response to this is good, so I can pursue writing and finally have the opportunity to do something I truly love to do for a living.
FROM THE DUST - PROLOGUE - PART ONE
A chill whips through the stagnant morning air, almost as if to welcome the Winter seasons of old, pushing through a battered thicket of struggling Oak trees. Curled, burnt leaves push through the roughly shaped branches, dancing effortlessly in the cool breeze. Still flying high upon a heavily abused flagpole is a torn and tattered nylon American flag, partially shrouded by the small grove of trees. Just beyond this slight treeline lies the remains of the very last medical building left standing in the once magnificent city of Easton. At one point the city was the crowned jewel of the state of Delmarva. Now, as with most everything else, the effects of famine, panic and war have destroyed anything of substance from the ruined municipality.
Just hours beforehand, Dempsey Memorial Hospital was the final standing ground and last ray of hope for what was left of the local Army National Guard. This seven story building went from being their saving grace to becoming a bullet riddled slab of formed concrete accompanied by varying piles of crumbled block and rubble. Across the dilapidated landscape, the lifeless bodies of the fallen lay almost as if they were thrown about by angry gods. Mixed with the light breeze, the scent of gunpowder and decay sweep through the area, telling the story of the standoff that transpired here.
As the sun slowly rises in the East, a brilliant light stabs through the battered trees, glaring effortlessly from the thousands of scattered shell casings. This spectacle of light creates an almost unsettling sense of beauty as it casts upon the grim display of the apparent slaughter. The only signs of life within the entire city block are a murder of crows pecking upon the flesh of the deceased and the circling of grotesque, deformed vultures preparing for the feast to come. Welcome to the once wonderful trading capital of Delmarva, now crippled mercilessly by animalistic instinct. Today, this same animalistic instinct is what has been the driving force behind humanity, or what is left of humanity, as we know it.
The world once was something of absolute allure and splendor, a sight to truly behold, depending on the perception of the eyes surveying it. Roughly a decade prior to the present day, humanity turned a new leaf and began dedicating to the advancement of our people as a whole. The pursuit of knowledge and solidarity brought forth an era of time that mankind had finally realized was long overdue. Modern marvels were plentiful, technological advancements blessed the four corners God's ultimate creation and humanity was making steady progress towards creating something only envisioned in fairy tales. The arrival of true peace and prosperity in the years following had finally created a sense of ease within the world. Things had finally fallen into place.
In the year 2038 the world stood still and powerless at the hands of an incredible natural phenomena never seen before. In the month of June the planet was pummeled by a series of intense solar flares, which were always thought to be an idea conjured up by doomsday theorists on television. In the beginning, the flares were small, spread over the course of a few days, hitting periodically and providing an extravagant light show comparable to Aurora Borealis. The world embraced the natural event, as there were no significant signs of hindrance resulting from it's occurrence. Crowds gathered across the globe to photograph and record the natural events. Local and global news crews covered this rare spectacle day in and day out, turning it into a media fueled publishing dream. From the very beginning, all had seemed to be well with the initial series of solar flares. As we have been shown numerous times throughout history however, what seems to be good and wholesome, can turn out to be quite the opposite.
The universe once again proved to us all just how quickly things can unravel, more or less in the blink of an eye. We were quickly reminded, as a people, that we are not in control of our future, despite our finest of attempts and hardest of labor. Six days into the picturesque light show, things took a severe turn for the worse. What was considered a graceful and elegant dance of the angelic, in the splitting of a second, turned into the roaring spite of the wretched. On June 22nd, at 3:44 PM Eastern Standard Time, the planet was rocked by a series of "super" solar flares that easily penetrated the natural defenses of planet Earth, bringing every location on the planet to its knees in absolute terror and awe. Man, woman and child alike observed this grand event, as it was possibly one of the most beautiful and incredible things to have beheld with their eyes, even during peak daylight hours. When this series of super flares breached our planet's atmosphere, an astounding array of colors fell to the land, as if spilled from God's palette. Many froze and gazed at the phenomena in complete admiration as it rained down on the planet. However, nothing could prepare them for the panic and havoc that would quickly ensue afterwards.
PART TWO OF THE PROLOGUE IS COMING SOON! FOLLOW ME @TERMINALLYILL TO SEE IT WHEN IT RELEASES!
I like the story line so far and look forward to seeing more of this.
As the person who I know writes the most stories on steemit I'm tagging @viking-ventures in case she can give any tips.
Thank you @thedarkhorse, it means alot to have your support and to have you reach out to others who may help me sharpen my skills. So far the feedback has led me to make a few changes that have increased the overall readability of the book. I will be making those changes in an edit tomorrow as I have been combing through what I have written so far and doing some improvising. Hopefully @viking-ventures has some tips or feedback for me :)
Thanks again brother! It honestly means alot to me!!!
Just an fyi someone else told me this to use on my posts and it makes them look better:
<div class="text-justify">Your post</div>This justifies your entire post and that keeps the end of the lines at the same place. The only thing you need to watch is write that code on a line then return down leaving a full line between it and the start of your post and a full line after your post before the closing tag. Otherwise sometimes it won't display correctly.
Awesome, thank you @thedarkhorse, I really appreciate the help my friend!
Anytime! Glad to be able to help you out as you have been spending so much time helping others.
That is very much appreciated!
A very nice story set-up. One small request, Centering of text works pretty good with poetry or a couple of short lines. My own personal preference from reading would be for a story of this length not be centered text. I do a lot of reading, and find the centered text stories to be difficult to read easily.
@bashadow, thank you for the feedback. I am actually going to go ahead and do that5 now. Force of habit has me centering it LOL. Shame on me ;) Thank you for the feed and for taking the time to read it!
Now, I am fairly new with designing and layouts on blogs, so would the title and such still be acceptable as centered? Or should it be switched as well @bashadow?
The majority of the writers I read, do center the title, and author line. I am not sure what the real etiquette is, but it looks best with the title centered. Are you familiar with @thewritersblock? It is a group run by @rhondak to help aspiring writers on steemit. They have resources to help edit, and grammar and consistency check writing. I don't do a lot of writing, but I do do a lot of reading, and the writers seem to be happy with the help they get.
@bashadow, I am familiar with @thewritersblock and @rhondak. I will definitely take that into consideration, however, we bumped heads over a miscommunication and so forth over the initial name of the last initiative @greetersguild created which is now by the name of @thewritersguild. None the less, I have appreciation for what they offer and what they do, so will consider possibly reaching out to them.
Thank you for the heads up and for the feedback. I went ahead and corrected that. You were 100% right and I am honest grateful for you reaching out to me to let me know!
Always going to be head bumping, doesn't need to be more than that. Lots of things I do not agree with/about from people, but still will recommend them if they seem like a fit or would be a good tool for someone. I like to read, I do not need to see 100% eye to eye with the writer of the story, I like music, I do not need to see eye to eye with them on their politics. It's either a good story or song, and who cares if the person is an asshole in life, they entertained me a few minutes. I know some people would say but your supporting an asshole, my response who cares, we are all assholes to an extent at one or more times in our life. Before people condemn others for supporting an asshole, ask if they can name 3 serial killers, who's really supporting assholes.
Okay, got off track there I think, yep, sometimes we just need to say, okay, and move on.
BAHAHAHA I completely understand what you mean there :D I just got a hell of a laugh out of that.
I know what you are saying though. There are plenty of people on here that I do not really like or get along with that I still support based on their contributions to the community and such. I like to see positive things happen, whether the person behind them is a douche or not really means nothing as long as their work has some good to it.
Like you, I enjoy reading and curating material on here. I am going to be hosting a huge contest when I reach 1000 followers, which will be this week no doubt. I will need curators if you are up for it? Also, the @greetersguild has been releasing curation requests (curation spotlight) and other publications on their blog. We could always use some quality curators to swing through. Especially on the end of curating newbie content that we spotlight. Let me know if any of this interests you my friend.
I have a pretty full plate right now, but I still drop by every now and then to see what's happening, I got way to stretched out a couple of months ago, so I have throttled back and trying to not get back in the fast lane, at least for a couple of months.
Understandable. Either way, I appreciate all you are doing on here. If you happen to have time to check out any of the material, please feel free to. Keep an eye out for my writings as well if you can. I need as much support and feedback as I can get before I finish up my 1st book.
I judge a book by the 1st couple of pages . If it doesn't grab an interest in me I put it down . You gave me two pages and I'm interested . I have a lot of question that I would like to know the answer to . great start will see how the rest go with character development and story .
Thank you my brother @wolfhart! It is always a peak part of my time on here to have feedback and comments from you, as you are one of the most honest and sincere people I have met on the Steemit platform. I honestly appreciate you taking the time to read my work, as well as giving me honest feedback on it! I guarantee you that this book will be amazing, from front to back, as the story plot I have thus far is incredible. The 2nd portion will be released in just a few days, I hope that you enjoy it as well my friend!!!
Just for my own personal curiosity and such, what questions do you have? It could possibly help me with the writing of the book to know what the reader is thinking after taking in everything. I appreciate any help you can lend me bro!
@terminallyill
if I got it right we went from a battlefield to a place back into a disaster . we are looking back into the past .
who is looking back and when
the timeline from the battle to the present . but that can be clearer as the next chapter comes out
you cant read a little bit and have question answered . thats why you keep reading . its like a snapshot in time you don't get the picture until more is revealed . So i need more .
I would not make large correction until it is done then its the rewrite that sells . keep going 👍
You got it right brother and I am happy that it makes you want to continue to go further on. I can assure you that the remainder of the prologue paints an even more vivid picture and will lead you to want to open the book and start chapter one. Thank you for taking the time to answer those questions for me bro!
@terminallyill
@wolfhart, what is fast reply?
@terminallyill gone a week and look at the changes
click on the demo link to install
https://steemit.com/steemit/@lynncoyle1/fast-reply-a-new-and-efficient-way-to-comment
I feel like a mob boss after he just got out of a 30 year prison sentence SMH. Thanks for the links and info my brotha!
This is very good @terminallyill! You have a lot of talent in many different areas! I think you should definitely pursue this! :)
Thank you @davemccoy! I have to say this, you will be in the thank you portion of the novel and listed as one of the people that I have written this piece for, as if not for you and the aid you had given me early on, I would not be even have written this. That is honest and believe me when I say, you have been one of the most positive influences in my life!
It is an honor to have your seal of approval and support on here my brother. Thank you again for not only supporting me and my work, but for helping me build and obtain the tools I need in order to succeed. You are an amazing person Dave!
wow! congratulation for your first "published book" I thought your passion is to build up the community via discord and various initiatives.
Know I knew you are a great writer too with such an elaborated story. Unfortunately, I have no patience to read a long story but I reckon you have a good introduction and conclusion.
You have done so much for the community and I should do my part to show my love ( upvote ) too
Cheers
Thank you brother @digitalmind, I appreciate your support! Though it is not published yet, I have an opportunity to get it published once I complete it. I am still in the process of putting it together and writing it as well as a couple others. None the less, it is still a passion of mine. Thank you again for your love and support on my project!
I did nothing much to support except morally.
But I will look forward to your publishing though
Cheers
@thedarkhorse beat me to it. @viking-ventures would be a great source. I know of another source that could be helpful. He's on FB tho...I am trying to convince him to come here his name is Brandon Ellis if you want to check him out.
I agree with @wolfhart If I don't get grabbed in the first couple of pages. I wonder. I am one of those that will push on to see if things get better. You definitely don't have to worry about that. I had some of the same questions, but since this is just starting out, I was going to see where you went. I know from some of the stories I had to write for a writing class I took (oh eons ago) you go back and re-read so many times you'll notice the little whos and such.
You're off to a great start. My only worry is ...4 groups, your real job and now this...I already don't think you sleep. Just don't forget to have a life in there too :D
@tryskele, I am definitely up for meeting anyone who could help me out in any possible ways. I am always up for sharpening my skills and learning a thing or two. Thank you for the referrals, let me know how I can reach them, as FB can be tricky at times people searching especially when there are hundreds of people with the same name.
Thank you for the support with this project, well, passion more than anything. I am going to definitely pursue writing as a career to some extent. My work on here I understand seems daunting, but I have it under control. Though things may at times seem to be hectic, there is a method to my madness. We are making tremendous progress in every outlet and honestly I am blessed to be able to share in the growth of all of these projects with everyone on board. LOL if you only knew the extent of the things I do off of the platform, you would probably think I am not human.
Trust me, there is no need to worry. As ling as I have good people standing with me involved in every initiative I am behind, then failure is not a possibility. People like you help ensure that the vision is long living and destined for great success ;)
By the way, I do not really sleep HAHA my motto is I can sleep when I am dead ;)
I say this all the time. Seriously sleep is very overrated.
Im just glad you're good... glad youre back at it. I could probably use some pointers from you to get back at this steemit jazzz.
I got a chance to read it at last. I like it. Will try to keep up and thanks again for all the things you are trying to do.
@stever82, thank you for your support and especially for taking the time to read my material :) It is very appreciate very much my brother!
You are welcome by the way. I am just trying to do my part in building the community and helping my fellow community members find their talents. I always try to do anything i can do to aid anyone on here. Thank you for taking part of the guild!
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared, thank you for taking the time to curate my material :)I wish you guys many blessings and if you have room to add another to your awesome new initiative, reach out to me. I am on Discord as LuckyDev#1969.
If you're gon'na be a writer, you need to develop thick skin.
"All recognition, good or bad, is free advertising and increases exposure to your work. That's what is really important because there are millions of good writers producing excellent prose, but only a few ever get read. Exposure, exposure, exposure..."
Namaste, Jaichai
Trust me my friend, other ventures in life have given me thick skin, namely being a musician and face of numerous businesses. There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary ;)
Thank you for the help none the less, it is nice to get some aid from my fellow writers. Speaking of exposure, care to give a resteem? LOL. I'd also like to get some feedback on the writing and the story itself if you have read it?
Thanks again my friend!
Let it be written, let it be done, Sahib...
RE: Your Story
It reminds me of the setting of David Cage's "Detroit: Become Human".
And IMHO, for readability's sake, paragraphs should have different shapes and sizes. For example, some great writers can make one word become a paragraph.
Shit!
Is that hubris? Lol!
Namaste, Jaichai
I can see splitting some of the paragraphs up. Good idea and solid comment. I appreciate the feedback!
May you and yours be well and life life today, my friend.
Namaste, Jaichai
Thank you my friend! Your comment and feedback actually was very useful, as I stepped back to observe some other fine writer's work and took in examples of such. I will be editing my work to do just that. I cannot thank you enough for honest and constructive feedback!