I think I’ve always been a side hustle / passive income kinda guy, even way back in 2012. So… in my mind, one of the best passive sources of income, is owning IP. And the ability for that IP to sell itself over and over without my involvement.
Authors / Musicians are the perfect example of this. They write a book, compose a song, and each time someone buys their product, KaChing! They can literally sell that same product for many years after producing it, without doing anything more.
If your novel gets sold to a movie studio and gets adapted into a movie or TV series… boom, you’ve just hit the big time. Just ask J.R.R. Tolkien! The man’s been dead since 1973, yet his Estate sold adaptation rights in 2017 to Amazon to create a Lord of the Rings TV series for $250M! (How hard are the Tolkien grandkids partying right now?)
Anyway, sorry for the segue. Back in 2012 (I checked my google docs original creation date), I started work on my very own epic adventure novel trilogy, and till today, I have nothing to show for it. (Watch out George R. R. Martin, I’m gonna pip you for the laziest writer yet).
Nothing but a super draft opener.
I’m gonna lay bare my most vulnerable, not-a-writer words, and ask if you like it, just based on the opening paragraphs, and if you would want to continue reading it.
I actually had 2 opening versions. Here they are.
Version A
1
The elipill was invented in 2056, more so out of necessity. Heavily condensed and taken 5 times daily, it replaces all your nutritional requirements from traditional meals. Except water. With all the advancements in nutrition, the scientists could find nothing to replace water.
The population had ballooned to 9.7 billion worldwide. There weren’t that many cows left. Nor were there spaces to rear cows anyway.
With the ever increasing population of resource-guzzling humans, a dwindling amount of natural resources, the luxury of time was not something the scientists had in abundance of. Thus, a global initiative was formed to address those issues, and address them fast. A 15-year high priority plan was kicked-off, the end result being that the world would ultimately find themselves a new place to call home.
And the imposed 15 year plan? I’m pretty sure the collapse of the North Pole had something to do with it.
I didn’t know of the significance of this global initiative until much later. But of course, I was only eight years old at the time.
2
The alarm on my bedside cabinet hummed one of 16 pre-set tones, the mating call of chimpanzees. My eyes still closed, I slapped around for it and turned it off. The bedframe creaked its protest as I struggled my way up from the depths of sleep to sit up.
I finally manage to open my eyes. I look out the window, and squint against the glare of the sun to see children chasing each other out in the play field. The trees were swaying in unison, shaking loose yellowed leaves and littering the ground in a sea of soft brown sponge for the kids to kick in.
I freshen myself up, as much as I can, given the magnitude of the day ahead. Slipping on a plain dull green tshirt, I look back at out the window, and the children are now forming a train, running circles around the trees.
“Yeah, right.” I muttered.
Reaching out to my right, I turned the switch up, and the window flickered off, the stark grey of the concrete wall of truth filled up the space, sending vibes of claustrophobia in droves.
Version B
1
Everyone’s eyes were glued to the projector, or on their screens in their own rooms. It was happening today. It was happening now. I didn’t want to stay in my room, so I woke early in the morning and started wandering.
But no matter where I walked, no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape from the feeling of dread. That sunken atmosphere. All around me, people were downcast, anxious, some openly crying. Others consoling the ones near them as best they could.
It was happening now.
I was drawn back from my wandering to the City Square, where a large screen was showing live footage of ‘The Event’. The square was packed with people. I guess they wanted to draw strength in numbers.
Daniel Lee, our precinct’s dairy farmer, lay slumped against a pillar, an almost empty bottle of scotch in hand, half-digested dinner forming a puddle next to him.
A collective gasp from the crowd drew my attention back to the screen. The asteroid had just broken into the Earth’s atmosphere. 5 months ago, SpaceX scientists managed to latch a high density camera onto the asteroid, and we were now watching live footage transmitted from the asteroid directly headed for Rio de Janeiro.
It didn’t really matter in any sense. This was an extinction event.
Numerous efforts to blast or divert the asteroid’s path had been futile. Its path had been tracked and monitored closely for over a year since it was first spotted in 2069.
So, what did you think? Did the openings hook you to want to read on? Which version did you prefer, and why? Please provide some feedback!