From Idea to Story

Today, I want to take you on a little journey. Thing is, I need a new story. In about three weeks, I have a reading slot at a Science Fiction Con in Kiel. So the story needs to be Science Fiction. On the other hand, I’m definitely no technology buff. Fortunately, SF doesn’t always have to include hard future tech.

Cat in a Box

©Frank Vogelskamp / PIXELIO

A few days ago, the first seed of an idea arrived: What if an alien were to land on Earth, in cat shape?

Immediately, questions arose: Why cat-shape? Why on Earth? And what will happen to him?

Cat-shape to mingle with humans undetected. Which also answered question number two: Studies. Anthropology, in the true sense of the word.

And what will happen to him?

Enter the next idea: This particular alien is not a scientist. He has none of the training. He just happens to be the best shape-shifter they have, and so he was hired for the mission. His job is to observe, document data and send it to their spaceship – which is hiding somewhere – via the internet.

And then the human entered the game. Who will our alien end up with?

Suddenly I saw an elderly author. (Well, they do say write what you know, right?) While she does actually own a computer and has internet, she’s also a bit excentric and not exactly the best study object. Even so, they get along quite well.

And what about the extraordinary event in a short story? Well, that’s something I’m still working on. At any rate, it will be a funny feel-good story, I think.

(Picture: pixelio.de)

About Hannah Steenbock

Hannah Steenbock is an author, dreamer, and coach. She has published several short stories in English and German, as well as one novel in German. In 2013 she started self-publishing her work. In 2014, she has won two awards for her short story "Sequoia".
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