On Community - a DSN Story

Whew! OWS Cycon was quite the whirlwind after so many months of planning. However, it was a success, and I am very ready to get back to my normal blogging.
That being said, I have been waiting anxiously to get this one out...

In January of this year, I was asked to start volunteering with the Dysautonomia Support Network. After training, I became an admin on their biggest Facebook page, "Divas Dudes and Zebras." It quickly became my responsibility to accept and welcome new members. Around that time, DSN was planning for their annual Neuro-Connect Summit. I was invited to attend but was hesitant. First, there was the cost. Then there was the "I don't know anyone here yet and it scares the crap out of me" excuse. However, Cathy, my team lead there, wouldn't take no for an answer. She made sure I knew I was welcome and had a room covered. I just had to pay for the Summit itself. I thank God she persisted because...

Well, because I have NEVER in my life experienced anything so absolutely amazing, unifying, terrifying, and wonderful as that weekend.

As we got closer to the Summit, some members had shown interest in meeting me. I was also eager to meet Cathy and the few volunteers I had been getting to know. I arrived and was almost instantly greeted by one volunteer and then another. Once I deposited my stuff in the room I was sharing with two others, and figured out where I was supposed to be, the fun began. I started putting faces with names, learned more about DSN and the volunteer network, and was given quite a few hugs. There were some high tension moments where I was quite insecure, as some personalities make me want to retreat deep within myself. However, I watched as a couple of volunteers who were feeling unwell were doted on and taken care of, and you could feel the compassion and understanding in the room. As we were eating and then meeting about DSN, I looked around and was in awe that I was sitting in a room with people who were just like me.

That was amplified a hundredfold the next day, and I was incredibly unprepared for it. It started well, with my roommates and I getting along and having good conversations. They are totally awesome (and are adaptive dancers... EPIC!) I then helped put together the swag bags and get a few other things ready for the noon start. There was a lot of fun conversations as well as ones about our conditions which came across so naturally and casually. It was mind-blowing! Everyone knew and understood what everyone else was talking about! Come twelve, I went to make my way into the large conference room we were all gathering in, and my mind was blown. I'm a people watcher more than anything else and watched so many encounters between fellow dysautonomia, Ehlers-Danlos, gastroparesis, and Chiari patients. I was still pretty much clinging to Crystal, a volunteer I had been very eager to meet, but soon got to know so many others!

It was overwhelming. I was sitting there, listening to a speaker about physical therapy, and another about our swallowing issues, and others about so many topics which affect us... all of us... every single person in that room. I actually started tearing up over it. The room was freezing, so I used that as an excuse to step out and recompose. When another one of us became quite ill, you could feel it throughout the entire hotel. Every person in this community was worried. Every single one cared. I managed to make it through half of the presentations before needing to rest. My SI joint and I have been at odds for weeks now and sitting for too long was getting to be too much. I wanted to make sure I could go to our Patient Choice Awards and enjoy the night.

What an event that was! From our MC Josh Pray making us laugh while wearing his big heart on his sleeve, to the presentation of awards, acceptance speeches, the absolutely breathtaking adaptive dance to "Elastic Heart," the collective concern as another one of us became really ill and more, it was amazing. I found myself getting emotional once more, mostly because I wanted so very badly to know everyone better and have that close connection I was witnessing over and over.  Again, I wandered my way out to where I could stand against a wall and give my hip a break while still watching and listening and recomposing.

Ya... that didn't work so well. It was coming to the end of the awards show, and I knew something special was planned. I also knew many were hurting over the death of one of the volunteers and her picture was going to be in the final song. Let me tell you, there is no amount of emotional bracing which can prepare for a moment when a couple hundred people JUST LIKE YOU are standing, arm in arm, and swaying to Rachel Platten's "Stand By You."

I was standing with them but also apart from them. Most of my table had left and the rest were with the others in a long line of swaying and singing DSN volunteers. That's when one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my entire life, and who I loved every moment I got to spend with, reached over from her wheelchair and gently took my hand as I stood there crying from the overwhelming scene in front of me. Community...

#DysautonomiaSupportNetwork, #DSN, #NeuroConnectSummit, #EDSwarrior, #DysDiva, #DazzleTogether

On World Building and OWS CyCon - Author Interview

As part of OWS CyCon, I've been given the chance to interview a fellow indie author. It was an exciting time! Here is the outcome of it. I hope you enjoy learning about her world.

Find out More About the World of After the Green Withered by Science Fiction Writer Kristin Ward During OWS CyCon 2019

Welcome to another fantastic stop in our World-building Showcase blog hop! On this stop, we’re highlighting a story where the world changes or ends as we know it, but you can find a full list of authors and topics on the OWS Cycon website. Let’s dive in!

Welcome Kristin Ward!

• Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, what is After the Green Withered about?

They tell me the country looked different back then.

They talk of open borders and flowing rivers.

They say the world was green.

But drought swept across the globe and the United States of the past disappeared under a burning sky.

Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath, a barren world where water has become the global currency. In a life dominated by duty to family and community, Enora is offered a role within an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. From the wasted confines of her small town to the bowels of a hidden city, Enora will uncover buried secrets that hide an unthinkable reality.

As truth reveals the brutal face of what she has become, she must ask herself: how far will she go to retain her humanity?

*            Does language play any role in your world? Does everyone speak the same language, or is there variety? Did you invent any new slang or terminology during your world-building process?

My book takes place in the United States of the future. Aside from story-related terminology, the language of the book reflects our present dialogue.

*            What kinds of climates do your characters experience? Do they see a lot of change or is it always the same? Has your world always had this kind of climate, or has it changed over time?

My book is a dystopian fiction based in a world ravaged by drought where water, the most valuable resource on the planet, is the global currency. Following a prologue which provides an essential backstory for the world I created, readers are introduced to a young woman, Enora, who is on the cusp of graduating high school and entering adulthood – this transition is tainted with frustration and worry over where she will end up as options are limited. Everything in her society is rigidly controlled – from water credits to borders – by an entity (the Drought Mitigation Corporation or DMC) who took control of water resources early on in the crisis and now have absolute control of every aspect of her community. When she enters a role within this entity, Enora discovers startling secrets that make her question who she is and what she stands for.

*        Is there any kind of faith system in your world? Did you draw inspiration from any real cultures, living or dead?

I was inspired to write After the Green Withered and the sequel, Burden of Truth, while completing research for a graduate course I wrote in environmental education. My course included concepts regarding earth’s history and, within this, I learned a great deal about the impact humans have had on the planet. As I studied and composed the course, an idea began to germinate.

What if there was a global drought due to the impact humans have had on the planet?  What if water became the global currency?

That seedling idea sat with me for a year or so as I finished my course writing and began to teach a few graduate courses. Eventually, I began to write the story but it took a whopping five years to get it from draft to publish! The final push actually came about after I read an article about Cape Town’s water crisis. At the time of the article, it was predicted that Cape Town’s water supply would run dry in April of 2018, not tens of years in the future. Reading this, I knew the story I wanted to tell was incredibly relevant so I buckled down and finished the first book.

*        What do people in your world do for fun? Are there sports, games, music, or other activities they do in their free time?

The world of my main character is rigidly controlled. It is a world of scarcity and deprivation. People in this society don’t have much opportunity for frivolity which is why this element isn’t present in my books.

*       What kinds of transportation and other interesting technology do your characters have access to? Are they ahead, behind, or a mix of different kinds of tech compared to where we are now?

The vehicles in my book are electric or solar-powered. This is due to the environmental catastrophes that impacted the world of my main character, changing the US from a country of 50 states to 18 states based on river basins. These events were the result of climate change that was exacerbated by the increase in the burning of fossil fuels.

*       Without giving away too much, what can you tell us about your world-ending event and how it led to the world of your story? Was it a distant event or does it happen as part of your tale?

Numerous readers have told me that the book is a truly frightening vision because they could see it coming to fruition in real life. It is a wake-up call. An important idea is that the choices we make, environmentally, have consequences. We may not see them in our lifetime, but what we do can and will affect the future. In the end, if the people in Enora’s world had made different choices long before she was born, then her life and the events that shape the story, would have been a much different tale to tell.

*            When you build a world, what is your process like? Do you do a lot of research upfront, wing it completely, or something in between?

I conduct an enormous amount of research before and during the writing process. It is important for the story to have elements of realism. This helps to ground the reader in the events of the book because the fictional world reflects the one the reader experiences every day.

*     How central is the setting of your story to the story itself? Is it more of an interesting backdrop, or is it integral to the events of the story?

The setting is an integral part of the story. It is our world after years of unregulated fossil fuel use and indifference to the effects of climate change. This world is one that has been altered so much by man that is had become unrecognizable.

*    When helping the reader get to know the world you built, what techniques do you use? Do you tend to be upfront about things, or keep the reader in the dark and feed them only bits at a time?

I wrote a very detailed prologue that is essential to the story. Before delving into the society of my main character, the reader must fully understand the world that she inherited. This shapes her perception of the controlling power and is a foundational part of the storytelling.

*    How much of a role does realism and hard scientific fact play in your world-building? Do you strive for 100% accuracy, or do you leave room for the fantastical and unexplainable in your world?

Realism is very important to the story but not to the degree that I strive for 100% accuracy. The research I conducted over the span of both books laid the foundation for the realistic aspects of the world itself and many elements within it. I have worked to explain various ideas in both books because they are interconnected with the world itself.

*   Do you have any specialized training or background from your “real life” that has informed your world-building?

The idea for my debut novel derived from a graduate course I wrote in environmental education. I was conducting research as I crafted the course components and the premise of this story was born from that experience.

* How do you keep all of the details of your world and characters straight? Do you have a system for deciding on different factors and keeping it all organized, or does it live more in your head?

I should probably have a structure in place to keep track of the details in my work, but I rely on my memory. Let’s hope I don’t start experiencing early memory loss!

*    Did you experience any difficulties while building your world? Any facts that refused to cooperate or inconsistencies you needed to address while editing?

I am in the unique position of having the premise for my book develop from research I was already conducting. From this point, I compiled a list of ideas I wanted to further explore and potentially add to the story. Being a total nerd, I enjoy the process of digging into science to better understand the concepts I am writing about in both books.

Where can people find you on the web?

 Please visit my OWS CyCon Author Booth at:

https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/forums/topic/kristin-ward-author-booth/

 For more stops on our End of the World World-building Showcase, visit the tour page on the OWS CyCon website. You can also find more great Sci Fi authors and books on our main Sci Fi event page. 

 #OWSCyCon, #Sci-Fi, #SciFi, #ScienceFiction, #world-building, #worldbuilding