This series focuses on stories that are both well-written and do something that I find interesting from a technical perspective. This week, let’s talk about tricksy writerses!
I will admit to not liking The Orrery, by Elana Gomel and published in Unsung Stories, for much of the way through my first read. Not much appeared to be going on besides an insane woman ranting about her computer’s holographic model of the solar system, and on top of that, she was getting some basic geology wrong. That really bugged me. (The geology errors, I mean. I’ll put up with difficult writing, but don’t mess with the basic structure of continental plates.)
Then the plot twist hit and I had to go back and re-read the whole thing. There had been, in fact, a great deal going on, and much of what had been bugging me was actually a warning that everything wasn’t as it seemed. There’s probably a lesson for me in there about reading more carefully.
One complaint I have is with the site’s relatively low contrast. Light grey text on a white background? Oh, well, at least they use a proper serif font, so there’s that.
In any case, give this story a try and tell me what you think. This technique strikes me as a dangerous one to attempt, but the payoff can be worth it. This story certainly hit a lot harder for me as a result.