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Author: Paul

Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved Mysteries

Image source shared under Creative Commons 3.0

The following is part of a “shared storytelling event” over at I Saw Lightning Fall , Advents Ghosts 2023. We were tasked to write a scary story of exactly 100 words in length. This came to me after watching an episode of Doctor Who where the Doctor travelled to the edge of the Universe. I don’t think this story is actually scary though the unknown can sure be known to unsettle.

Unsolved Mysteries

What celestial phenomenon called the Magi to Bethlehem?

Let’s imagine, as the story has been told, a star. One of 4,000 visible in a clear night sky.

Posit each of those stars has nine planets, 36,000 potential Earths, all these planets forming and evolving in their own time.

Has the Christmas story happened countless times across the vast Universe?

Would Jesus have been sent to save our extra-terrestrial neighbors from their sin?

Perhaps somewhere the apple was never eaten, and our Heavenly counterparts observe our lives like reality tv.

Are we alone and special?

Is there comfort in the mystery?

How AI image generators work – From Washington Post

How AI image generators work – From Washington Post

AI image generators are in the news. And they are fun to play with and can create some incredible images. But of course there are ethical questions that arise.

Here is a good article from the Washington Post regarding how AI image generators work:

How AI image generators work, like DALL-E, Lensa and stable diffusion – Washington Post

An Inside Job

An Inside Job

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Homestead_Winter_-_Currier_and_Ives.png

The following is part of a “shared storytelling event” over at I Saw Lightning Fall , Advents Ghosts 2022. We were tasked to write a scary story of exactly 100 words in length. I don’t know how much this counts as a “story” but this is my attempt at an entry. As far as “scary” your mileage may vary.

An Inside Job

1659, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony deems it a criminal offense to publicly celebrate Christmas.

January 6th 2045, the Freedom party gains control of all three branches of government, repeals the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and declares Christmas a secular holiday, banning it on the basis it’s never mentioned in the Bible.

December 25, 2047 Cynthia Bowman is arrested for having houseplant greater than 48 inches of height indoors in the twelfth month of the calendar year and adorning said shrubbery with a star.

The War on Christmas always was an inside job.

Creating a Compelling Plot

Creating a Compelling Plot

The best way to create a compelling plot is to create a compelling character with a goal to achieve, and then make him do the last thing on Earth he wants to do to achieve that goal. *

* I am going through some old papers, many of them from when I was trying to turn myself into a writer. I came across this quote on plot that I think is fantastic. I have no idea where it’s from, so please let me know if you are aware of the source.