This is Part 4 of the series “Helping children/teenagers to start writing stories” by children’s writer K.P. Sukumaran.
If you have been reading my blog posts so far, why not start writing a story yourself? This blog is meant for children in the age group of 8-11 years. Parental help is most welcome.
My favourite genre or type of writing is science fiction. There are only a few writers of science fiction stories in India. There are plenty in the West. Stories by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Frank Baum, Forrest A.Ackerman and Ms.Louis McMaster Bujolda are well known. The only Indian who wrote some Sci Fi stories was the famous astro physicist Dr.Jayant Narlikar.
You can write science fiction stories if you have a basic knowledge of scientific facts. You need not be a scientist, but avoid blunders. I once read a science fiction story in which the characters were moving in a space ship which was flying faster than the speed of light. The author wrote ‘In the distance they saw the twinkling lights of another giant space ship.’ This is not possible because if they are travelling faster than the speed of light by the time the light from the space ship reaches them they would have moved further on. Scientists of Earth have not yet been able to make any object that can fly faster than the speed of light. But who knows, people living on other planets may have developed the capability for what is called hyper travel.
Stories based on fantasy
Stories based on fantasy and wild imagination are also a branch of science fiction. Examples are the stories of H.G.Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne and others. Can you dream of a world where time stands still, the earth changes its orbit, the moon crashes into earth, earth’s magnetic poles are reversed, man learns to travel faster than the speed of light, man learns to overcome death, the world becomes too crowded, water on earth is depleted, people develop superior mental powers and so on and so forth. The movies Inception, Matrix, Spiderman, Superman, Avatar and the Harry Potter series are all based on fantasy and proved to be very popular. When Arthur C. Clarke wrote about satellites orbiting the Earth it was fantasy but within a decade or two it became a reality. Jules Verne wrote about a ship that could sail under the sea. It was fantasy at that time. Today submarines are part of the Navies of the world.
There are some who believe that there is a parallel universe where we can see a duplicate of everything that is there in this universe. If you are called Hari and your sister’s name is Neha then there is another Hari and another Neha in the parallel universe. If you ever meet do not try to shake hands because it will end in a terrible explosion. If you are made of matter then the other Hari is made up of anti-matter and that is the reason for the explosion!
Facts and fiction for writers
Some scientists firmly believe that there are other living beings on distant planets. Their civilization could be far more advanced than ours. They may have superior weapons and great powers of the mind. Have you heard of telepathy? It is the power of the mind to communicate with others without actually speaking. In the Foundation series of stories Asimov tells about superior human beings who can control others by the power of their mind.
Now let us try to write a story. First let us think about the characters in this story. In a drama the people who play the main roles are called ‘dramatis personae’. Then let us have a clear idea of the background. Where they are living (and the peculiarities of those places)? What are the abilities of each character including superhuman capabilities? How are they going to use it – for good or bad? Each one of you can use your imagination to develop these points. Note down these details in a note book with the names of each character. In a story there should be conflict, victory of the good over the bad, suspense and a climax.
First things first – the plot!
Think of a plot for your story. The main characters, the conflict between them, the end result. What is it that the hero wants to achieve? Why is the bad guy trying to see that the hero fails in his mission? Who are the people helping the hero and the villain? Will the hero finally succeed? Each character must be clearly defined and described. The background details must be written in detail. Jot it down in a note book before starting to write the story.
When you finish writing your wonderful story, show it to your friends. If they like it, send it for publication in the weekend supplements of newspapers. Most of the big newspapers devote one supplement for young children. Don’t expect all your stories to be published, but do try. Some magazines for children will accept it for publishing in their online magazine. Don’t you think that it will be a thrilling experience to see your name in print? Keep a handwritten copy of your stories in a file. Read it after a few days or months and you will be surprised to find that you could make many more improvements in it or even rewrite the whole thing.
A story based on the powers of the mind
Let me write a story based on the great powers of the mind and how it can be used to do good.
The Plot – Coco is a little visitor from another planet. He has great mental powers and can control the thoughts of others and make them think as he wishes. He is a good person and will not misuse his abilities. He loves Pooja, the little girl who is his host on Earth. They go to the beach. Some big boys try to harass Pooja and Coco steps in to give them a punishment which they will not forget easily.
Location and background - Earth and the planet Broomb, which is 2.13 million light years away(in space we measure distance this way). Broomb is a planet of vastly superior, highly intelligent beings. They are good people. Only problem is that people there do not look like us. They have the ability to assume any shape they wish to take. They can read people’s mind and influence others. They do not have to talk but they can influence the thought patterns of other human beings. Coco is a little boy from the planet Broomb who comes to visit earth. He stays with a nice young girl called Pooja who is the daughter of the commandant of the Space Arrival Centre in Trivandrum. Coco is only four feet tall and has a head which is a bit bulging. He has saucer like eyes and thin arms. Actually his name was different in the language of the Broomb people, but Pooja called him Coco because his head looked as if a big coconut had fallen on it. With this material I am going to write a story. You can write a different story with the same materials.
You can change or add characters. Then describe Coco and Pooja. The abilities of Coco, like reading minds and influencing thoughts of others. Remember that the reader must get a clear picture of the people and the places by reading your story. So it should not be vague. If I see your photo I will know how you look. But if someone is going to describe you then he must cleverly use words so that I know how tall you are, how bright your eyes are, your expression on the face, the shape of your nose, your hair, your smile and what not. It is not an easy job.
I mentioned the capabilities of Coco. Now let me start writing a short story for you to read. It will give you a better idea how to build the pieces and put it together to form a good story. I am sure you will be able to do better. The title for the story will be ‘Adventures of an alien child’.
Adventures of an alien child
Coco was visiting Earth from the distant planet Broomb, during his annual vacation. Little Pooja was his host. Pooja was the daughter of the commandant of Space Transit Station in Trivandrum. She was just eleven years old, tall for her age with an impish smile on her lips. Coco’s real name was Gr284730*b. Everyone on the planet Broomb had names suitable for storing and retrieving in the computer, just like the password you use when opening your email account. So what did they call each other then? Actually they never needed to use their names out loud, since they used their computers to communicate with one another! It was Pooja who gave the little alien visitor from the distant planet, the name Coco. She said the depression on his big head looked as if a big coconut had fallen on him. After all it was difficult to call a person Gr284730*b.
Broombs lived on a planet in the galaxy Alpha C284 which was 2.13 million light years away. It was not a very hospitable planet for humans. The temperature was a sizzling 120⁰C in the shade. They had in fact two Suns and that caused the great heat. In the night they had three Moons.
The Broombs were funny looking people. They were very intelligent and their brains were huge. Since they spent a lot of time looking at computer screens they had saucer like big eyes. They had thin arms and weak legs. Their complexion was ash grey. Coco was no exception. He was just four feet tall with a huge head. He had great mental powers and could communicate with others using their mental thoughts and could even move objects without touching them.
Pooja took Coco to the beach on a Sunday. There was a big crowd at the beach because it was a holiday. There were a few alien visitors also there. Coco watched everything with great interest. Aunty Meera accompanied them. She was a fat and cheerful woman. Aunty got a beach umbrella, spread her beach towel under it and sat there in the shade. She was fifty years old with strands of gray hair on her head. She tired easily. Pooja started making a nice sand castle using the beach sand and water. Coco was amused to see it.
There were some boys playing nearby. They watched Pooja and Coco for some time and decided to have some fun at their expense. They ran over the sand castle Pooja and Coco had made and smashed it.
“Oh! I am sorry. I didn’t see it. I was watching that curious friend of yours.” The big boy who was the leader of the gang said.
Pooja accepted their apology and started making another bigger sand castle. Coco helped her to make it big and impressive. Many people at the beach came over to see it. The mischievous boys were also watching them. Coco worked real fast. The sand castle became bigger and bigger. The front portion had an image of a horrible man with big teeth and an open mouth. The troublesome boys surrounded the big sand castle. The big boy who was their leader, gave the sand castle a big kick. Coco was watching him intently. The sand castle lay shattered. But the big bully who kicked it down was dancing up and down crying, “My leg. My leg. It is fractured. My hand is trapped inside the demon’s mouth. Help! Help!”
He lay down clutching his feet in pain. The people watching him thought he was just pretending. They scolded him for smashing the sand castle. Pooja was on the verge of tears. But Coco was quietly watching the little bully. Soon the boy’s parents came and tried to pull him up. He shrieked in pain and collapsed. His mother was sure he was play acting and gave him a resounding smack on his bottom and dragged him away screaming.
Pooja and Aunty Meera decided to go back to their homes. On the way back Pooja asked Coco why the boy was screaming. “ He looked as if he was in real pain.”
Coco looked at Pooja. His saucer like eyes got bigger. He didn’t speak but Pooja felt someone telling her, loud and clear, inside her head,“Pooja, we are people from the land of Broombs. We have the power to influence the mind. We can even make things move without touching them. I made the bully think that the sand castle was made of stone. So when he kicked it he felt real pain. I also made him think that he had fractured his leg and his hand was caught in the demon’s mouth. That is why he was shrieking so loudly. Fitting punishment, isn’t it Pooja?”
Coco grinned happily. Pooja laughed loudly. She told Aunty Meera about Coco’s astonishing ability.
Aunt Meera said, “Coco you must tell me more about telepathy. You are a dangerous person.”
Coco did not speak. He just looked intently at Aunty Meera. She felt that Coco was telling her, “No madam. We Broombs never use our powers to hurt good people.”
— K.P.Sukumaran
K.P.Sukumaran is a freelance journalist whose children’s stories have appeared in Dim Dima and Deepika. He also does content editing for the popular magazine Tell Me Why and has 11 years of experience as a journalism teacher in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Trivandrum( Subject : Writing). He has a passion for writing and helps nurture young writing talent through this article series on Chillibreeze.
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- Avoiding Phrases Like, “All Hell Broke Loose” and Other Significant Rules of Fiction Writing
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“The only Indian who wrote some Sci Fi stories was the famous astro physicist Dr.Jayant Narlikar.”
Please read the huge entry on science fiction in various Indian languages in The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Five) page 3889 – 3897.