Push and Pull Factors
(This post originally appeared on The Reading Cafe when I did a guest post as part of their review of Green Bank.)
From Black Holes to Broken Hearts: The Journey of Writing My Debut Sci-Fi Novel
Over ten years ago, I had the inkling to write a book—sci-fi, specifically. This inkling was melded together with push and pull factors. The push factors were 1) nurturing a drive to finish what I start and 2) getting out of my 9-to-5 headspace, finding a creative outlet. The pull factors were 1) deep interests in black holes, dark matter, and consciousness and 2) wonder with the complexity of relationships.
Push Factor 1: Finish What You Start
Whether it is a book, a house project, marathon, or some other goal, we often confront milestones that we truly want—or need—to achieve. As with many things in life, it’s easier said than done. Well, writing a sci-fi novel was my milestone. I thought of the idea of this book over a decade ago and started actually writing it eight years ago. Several times I thought of abandoning it, fearing it was not worthwhile. But with each page completed, that path became clearer. Anytime I needed a boost, I just looked back at what I had done thus far. You can always assure yourself that you are that much closer once you’ve made the slightest progress.
Push Factor 2: Get out of Your Headspace
I may never be able to support myself purely as an author, and that is perfectly fine. I enjoy my career, but there are times when I just need a blank slate upon which I can just create. In my orderly, time-bound jobs, I rarely get the opportunity to just create art. But it is an extremely important outlet for anyone. Music, sculpting, woodworking, and more all provide an outlet for people, sharing their views of and experiences in our collective world. Given how impactful storytelling has been for me as a reader, I felt a certain level of obligation to return the favor in the best way possible.
Pull Factor 1: Black Holes, Dark Matter, and Consciousness
Sci-fi begins right where our current understanding of the universe ends. That’s why it is my favorite genre—you get to take that step into the unknown, letting creativity grow from theories and accepted truths. Black holes and dark matter arguably fascinate (perhaps terrify, too) anyone that really dwells on them. And they have appeared heavily throughout books and movies, but I wanted to take a different approach to them both. Weaving in consciousness allowed me to explore another opaque field of science and create a delicate bridge between the deep mysteries of the universe and everyday people.
Pull Factor 2: Complexity of Relationships
The core of any good story is the impact of the characters. Regardless of wild, exotic concepts, action, themes, etc., the characters usher the story along. I wanted Green Bank to fascinate a reader while keeping them grounded with plausible characters navigating life in fathomable ways. Specifically, I wanted to explore relations amongst the characters, showing how the experiences that they have with one another readily impact decisions they make in the future. And as complex as relationships may be, you can distill them down to basic drivers. These drivers also serve as key inputs to surveillance technology present in Green Bank.
I hope this post serves not just as a catalyst to read Green Bank but also as motivation for anything you have been seeking to do in your life. At one point in time, my story was just neurons firing off in my head. But with patience and consistency, it became a published book. Never has holding a book in my hand felt so meaningful, let alone people actually reading it and, hopefully, liking it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay curious. Keep exploring the magic you still have to share with the world.
All the best,
Kyle
