I clearly remember picturing this whole opening scene. I think it originates from a childhood memory. The presence of shop security was always enough of a deterrent to stop anyone from trying to nick something. And, if I remember rightly, it was considered a ‘cushy number’, because not many people tried. Of course, today, things probably have changed. I tend to shop a lot more online. I have grown out of hanging around shopping malls. LOL.
I also think another reason why I enjoyed writing this particular scene is because it’s filled with the kind of humor I enjoy – subtle jokes, that are not designed to make you laugh, but to smile: ‘His name was John, not Athlete.’ This sense of fun continues throughout the whole gun-slinging scene – involving cliches such as the first police officer is eating a doughnut, and the way the NPCs don’t get involved. It’s an AI response – where a human might say it’s none of their business, it replies with it is not programmed for such.
The fact that this all takes place in Philadelphia, to be honest with you, was not really my decision. It just kind of appeared in my mind, and l let it grow – after all, by this time, the characters were writing the story more than I was. It was becoming dictation. I know that sounds weird, but it’s not supposed to be. Each character, by now, acted in a certain way and this, if allowed, caused natural responses. So Philadelphia just kind of happened, and I went with the flow. Now, looking back, I am surprised how well it all turned out. Perfect, almost.
Therefore, I can honestly admit that writing this whole scene had been fun for me. Not all scenes are – I think this was also because I enjoyed writing about Evylin. She’s the kind of girl I would have liked to have met, fun and dangerous at the same time. Secret wishes. LOL.
For the next section, I remember doing an awful lot of research. I did not want to write about a sewage system that didn’t exist – and here again, I had the strange feeling the book was writing itself – I had no idea about Philadelphia’s old and new sewage system. It’s not something you would normally read up on, but as I searched and learnt more, it became the perfect waterway. This is one thing I really do thank the internet for; it is a pool of information. A lot of good people write pages simply to preserve history. I would never have been able to find out about such things without them.
The final section of this chapter is where I delve into the idea of how people interpret what is valuable – This was influenced by my studies at the time, and the value of an object in context. This led to quite a nice puzzle around Evylin’s behavior after hacking her dad’s WallScreen: Was it planned or not? While at the same time, I began to integrate the philosophical and scientific idea that there is “nothing” beyond the horizon until we reach it. It worked well for what I wanted and had planned.
Anyway, most of my memories from this chapter are pleasant and I do enjoy watching the way my story unfolds – a bit like the last part of the chapter – the story was always there, it was just beyond the horizon. And I am very glad I went there.
