Edwin Downward

I am a Christian, a husband, a father, and a writer of science fiction adventure stories.

Avatar: My headshot over a starfield image

Header: Galactic starfield with cover images of my first two novels overlayed.

Public Key

npub1ahwk22df9xa3dmzgfjzsw4a7hevuuhg6new4he0p5jsqgjsy3wvqrcgd0g

NIP-05 Address

EdwinDownward_at_writing.exchange@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswmht99x5jnwcka3yyepg827ltukwwt5dfuh2muhs6fgqyfgzghxqrhnn4h

Author Public Key

npub1ahwk22df9xa3dmzgfjzsw4a7hevuuhg6new4he0p5jsqgjsy3wvqrcgd0g

Show more details

Last Notes

2024-10-19 16:36:07

Got soaked making the short walk (with multiple breaks to rest my knee and arms), but I voted in the local provincial election.

2024-10-19 16:27:22

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 19: Do you go to fan conventions or similar?
We had a big fan convention that fell apart in 2019 and is only now trying to get back on its feet. Before that time we were regular attenders. My wife and DD have vended at Vancouver Fan Expo for a number of years though those types of events tend to be too big for the type of fan interaction we're comfortable with.

2024-10-19 16:24:06

#wordweavers 10/19: How does your antagonist define friends?
Most of the antagonists alluded ot in my stories define friend as someone they can use to further their goals.

2024-10-18 17:02:10

#WordWeavers 18 How money-savvy is your MC?
While his training was in ship operations within the League free-trading fleet, every Star Academy cadet gets an introduction in the art of making a good deal that benefits the ship, and therefore the League.

2024-10-18 16:58:26

#PennedPossibilities 471 — If your SC desires friends, do they see every meeting as an opportunity to make a new friend?
June neve had a large circle of friends and getting tangled up in a rogue black-ops only reinforced the idea that most people are not friends material. Though that life is behind her, it will take a long time to switch to seeing friends when before she saw opportunities.

2024-10-18 16:53:59

#WritersCoffeeClub Oct. 18: Do you read scripts? Would you write one?
I have no interest is reading or otherwise learning about scripts. That is a different form of storytelling I'm just not interested in.

2024-10-18 00:58:12

- reply

@npub1n5p…r9j3 Wait. Slow cookers have a season? Am I violating some kind of law using ours all year round? Do I have to be on the lookout for Slow Cooker Police breaking our door down?

2024-10-17 16:34:46

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/17 Body count in your #WIP? Is this typical for your work?
I don't write by body count. Across 4 novels I have only had 3 on page deaths, though the probability of deaths during any of the space battles cannot be ruled out.

2024-10-17 03:25:34

Our Angus bunny me passed away tonight. From the time we knew something was wrong and he was gone only an hour had passed. Rabbits are so tricky that way, hiding their infirmaries as an instinctual way to avoid predators.

2024-10-15 16:57:23

#WordWeavers #Writing 15 Do you make any effort to make or avoid alliteration?
I don't even think about it. The story flows as it needs to go in the moment.

2024-10-13 16:25:08

#WritersCoffeeClub #Writing 13 Has anything you've written made you cry, either when writing it or on a re-read?
I have a few scenes that choked me up every time I visited them.

2024-10-11 17:56:51

#PennedPossibilities #Writing 464 Imagine a horror universe where your SC has been dropped and is now possessed by a demon. How would / wouldn’t they survive this?
A demon wouldn't be any worse than one of June's manic periods except it wouldn't have an ending, it would be like getting lost in her nightmares and becoming one hers. Surviving wouldn't even come into the picture.

2024-10-11 16:45:29

#WordWeavers Oct 11 What sounds could help your MC feel better?
There's a hum that comes up through the deck plates when the star drive is in operation that Niv can get lost in when he needs a moment to relax.

2024-10-06 15:59:48

#WritersCoffeeClub Oct 6: "Have you mixed genres in your work?"
For the most part, no. I write science fiction and everything that occurs in my world fall sunder that wide umbrella.

2024-10-05 15:46:25

#WritersCoffeeClub #Writing 05 You're the Ruler of the Writing Universe for the day. What petty rule do you decree?
You must use the Oxford English Dictionary in all your English writing for the day.

2024-10-05 15:45:15

#PennedPossibilities 458: Are there stories (within your novel) about said monsters or creatures? (Refer to Prompt 457.)
For the most part, my stories are about how my MCs adventures intersect with the designs of said monsters and what they must do to minimise engagement.

2024-10-04 16:23:23

#WordWeavers 10/4: Who among your characters is the most outgoing?
That would be the Samafm Ambassadors, Carlos and Uno Yondu.

2024-10-04 16:21:51

#PennedPossibilities 457: What are the most frightening monsters or creatures in your story?
I've created a handful of characters who were so dedicated to their vision nothing and nobody else mattered if they didn't support that vision. Those are the most dangerous people in our world making them to most dangerous people in any world.

2024-10-04 16:18:36

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/4: What was the first book you read that enormously impacted you?
The book that leaps to mind when I see this question is Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke, with an emphasis on that moment when the lights first turned on.

2024-10-01 16:09:50

#PennedPossibilities 454 — Does your SC have any identifying birthmarks or tattoos?
June has no birthmarks and was counciled never to get any identifying mark such as a tattoo that could blow whatever cover her latest mission required her to take.

2024-09-27 23:13:21

#PennedPossibilities 67. Write about a recent decision that your MC has made.
Niv couldn't ignore the distress signal they intercepted and we're able to decide setting the action of my #WIP in motion.

2024-09-07 15:35:35

#WritersCoffeeClub What genre are you least likely to write? Why?
Least likely. Literary. I write what I want to read, stories that give me a fun ride, not stories designed to give me a headache.

2024-09-06 12:57:11

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: Where is your book listed?
My books are listed in every store and library that can be reached through Draft 2 Digital plus Google Play. Full links are available through my website:
Https://edwindownward.com

2024-09-02 15:10:46

#WritersCoffeeClub 2. What is your favourite part of the writing process?
The writing, which includes all the brainstorming necessary to pull the pieces together and start generating the actual story.
Given the ongoing AI controversy, I will go on to state this is the single biggest reason I won't use such systems for writing. Why would I give away the part of writing that gives me the most joy to a program?

2024-08-31 15:39:23

#WordWeavers #Writing 31 Would your MC give up their goal to help someone else achieve theirs?
As a people pleaser, Niv struggles with this all the time. While he has never given up on his big life goals, he has pushed them back many times because someone needed his help to achieve some goal of their own.

2024-08-19 15:22:18

Ah, yes, my daily reminder that everyone in the political spectrum is using a different dictionary and therefore cannot communicate in any meaningful fashion.

2024-08-16 20:24:03

I have no problem using expert systems like spelling and grammar to help me polish the words I have written. I do have a big problem with expert systems like ChatGPT which exist to do the brainstorming and subsequent writing which are the source of my greatest joy as a writer.

2024-08-01 22:59:58

#WritersCoffeeClub - Can you foresee any circumstance where you might use AI to compose part of a story?
The act of writing, including all the brainstorming I need to work out the details is where I get the most joy from writing. Turning any part of this over to AI destroys the why of writing.

2024-01-01 17:43:01

I will put it straight out there. If it wasn't for the following tags, I'd have stopped checking in on this site a long time ago. I've given myself a year to see what I can get from here, and it turns out these are it. Now to decide if that's enough to keep looking in.
#WordWeavers
#PennedPossibilities
#WritersCoffeeClub

2023-12-26 16:18:15

#WordWeavers Dec 26
Do you have a bunch of shelved manuscripts?
I have a selection of shorts that were written in response to challenges that were taken far as I needed them to be and are now sitting in a folder where I may or may not pull them out for further development in the future.

2023-11-22 00:48:13

This story has reached a fork moment, with each fork promising to take my writing going forward in a diverging direction. Now to decide which fork is more in line with my long term vision as a writer.
#scifi #novel #amwriting #writingcommunity

2023-11-11 02:47:43

Once again date blindness has caught me by surprise. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Canada, which means I get it off. What am I going to do with myself?

2023-11-06 16:25:32

#WordWeavers 11/06 What does your MC know that other people don't?
The answer to this question is a massive spoiler so I'll have to leave it there.

2023-11-02 01:44:36

#PennedPossibilities 120 — Tell us what you enjoy most about writing Sci-Fi and Urban Fantasy.
For me it's the wonder.

2023-10-20 13:27:31

#PennedPossibilities 107- What will your characters stand up for?
Educating people so they have the tools needed to make sound decisions. Holding the line so that people who cannot defend themselves have a way out. Offering help when it's within their power to do so.

2023-10-18 18:16:21

- reply

@npub15wt…7rek I'm writing from a close 3rd POV of one character which does limit the number of characters I can draw from from answering this kind of question.

2023-10-18 15:39:26

#WordWeavers Oct 18: (let's make this slightly spicier) Do you write MCs with different beliefs from you?
My primary MCs do have beliefs in line with my own. I have written a couple of shorts in response to challenges where the MC diverged from my core beliefs in significant ways. I do try to give other characters their own outlook on life which can include a different worldview.

2023-10-05 13:19:43

#WordWeavers Day 5 - How often do you discuss your writing with real-life friends and family?
My family knows I'm a writer. With my wife I give general here's what I've done updates. With my DD we will sometimes discuss specifics of either my books or her's as she's also a writer. Outside of that I don't mention my writing often enough according to a few people.

2023-10-03 20:35:08

- reply

@npub10d5…vvxa It's been such an invaluable resource over the years I didn't hesitate to get the larger 2nd edition when it came out. The real trick, of course, is working out which combination of factors best fit the immediate situation and how how weave them into the greater narrative.

2023-09-30 17:03:26

- reply

@npub16uc…k62q @npub1k74…dmux These prompts are one of the highlights of my Mastodon experience. They will draw me here even if there is nothing else I expect to find on this site.

2023-09-18 14:52:09

#WordWeavers 18: Do your characters worry about their health?
Health concerns are built into the system. All space travelers are required to keep a form of record of worlds visited and infections they may have been exposed to. This Quarantine Profile is them used by the next port of call to determine the level of access and precautions that must be used in system.

2023-09-14 13:40:41

#WordWeavers 14 — Does your antagonist have any likable or redeemable qualities?
In theory everyone has likable qualities but since I have no core antagonist(s) to look out I really can't pull out anything specific.

2023-09-06 20:05:44

- reply

@npub15wt…7rek I have taken to calling my scifi cozy in the same way we expect cozy mysteries to have little in the way of sex, swearing, or gore. As a catchall term it does seem to be better than using clean.

2023-09-06 15:53:20

I notice more people cringing at the description of 'clean' writing because it implies even consensual sex is 'dirty', but I have yet to hear anyone suggest a better term for the overarching theme we all understand as clean.

2023-09-02 15:50:08

#WordWeavers 2. What could you change about your world to improve it for most people?
Like here on Earth, the biggest problem I've set before is human politics. And like here on Earth, what they need in my universe is a willingness to listen to what everyone is saying before acting on what they think they heard being said.

2023-08-19 15:40:01

#PennedPossibilities 45: MC POV: Describe the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard.
The latest incident only proved that he couldn’t let it slide any longer, or give himself the chance to rethink this moment. “Shortlist worlds from which you have the best chance of finding a safe path home.”
She stopped and looked down at her hands. Then, in a hollow voice, said, “No.”

2023-08-12 15:14:42

On the commute to the bread-and-butter job I hit on the need to choreograph a not-so-friendly bout between to men. I'm already thinking this is going to be a challenge to get right.
#AmWriting
#WritingCommunity
#SciFi
#SciFiNovel
#SpaceOpera
#IndieSciFi
#WritersOfMastodon
#AuthorsOfMastodon

2023-08-09 15:51:46

- reply

@npub16uc…k62q First, there's been this problem of even approaching a cute want. Then a black-ops hormone pump. Then a complication when a hidden function of said pump gets activated. Lots of spoiler territory there.

2023-08-09 15:30:07

#WritingWonders Day 9: Do your MCs have children? If not, do they want to?
Niv has wanted to be a father since before his brother's first child was born but so far that hasn't been an option.

2023-08-07 17:25:37

#Today has turned upside down. First they red flagged the NASCAR race from yesterday to today, making that the centre of my wife's morning. Then our sick bunny has taken a turn for the worst on a stat holiday where the vet is not available. On top of all that many of my walking parks will be overflowing with families and my favourite teashop is closed. This will mess with my writing time.

2023-08-03 17:51:42

Our large black cat Dermot lying on the tiles in the bathroom waiting for me to feed him.
#Cat #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #Catstodon #Mastocats
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/110/826/948/679/405/937/original/a1bf67e1658c7989.jpeg

2023-07-16 19:50:56

- reply

@npub1cz0…wk5s I have taken my BP at different times over the day but I've never been asked to put on one of those 24hr monitors. It's just frustrating that something this important doesn't have any stress moment protocols. Friends with asthma have puffers, those with diabetes have the option to take sugar or insulin, and cardiac patients use a range of products from chewable aspirin to nitro-glycerin.

2023-07-16 17:31:25

Yet more advice telling me to take my blood pressure only when I've created an artificially serene environment. Back to, but what about the rest of my day? How do I manage my blood pressure when things aren't perfect?

2023-07-15 13:47:42

#WritingWonders Day 15: are there any kissing/intimacy scenes in your work?
I have a strict fade to black policy for anything steamy, but once Niv and June shared their first kiss I haven't held back on lighter public displays of affection between them.

2023-07-10 15:22:03

#WritingWonders Day 10: In a fight, what is your MC's weapon of choice?
Turns out Niv's weapon of choice is his ability to speak from the heart in a way people actually listen. Failing that he'd rather be aboard Konhor with access to the ship's full weapons suite, defence grid, and advanced maneuverability.
June may have been groomed as a weapon but she'd far prefer to use subterfuge and subtlety to avoid a fight.

2023-07-07 13:02:27

#WritingWonders July 7
Favourite part of the writing process and why.
The process of discovering what this next story wants to be is the reason I write. I have ideas and create a few flag points I the story must pass through but everything in the middle is a trek into the unknown. More than anything else this is why I can't see me ever using AI in the writing process. That would kill the core joy of this journey.

2023-07-03 15:51:54

One of the most fascinating aspects of #WritingWonders is the different angles from which people answer the day's prompts. We writers come at our craft from so many different perspectives and this is one way it shines out for everyone to see.

2023-06-22 01:59:05

I'm now seeing ads for an AI that can write an entire book, create a cover, then upload it to Kindle. It doesn't matter how bad such books are going to be at first. The raw flood of new stories is going to break the already well overstressed book discovery problem.

2023-06-16 13:24:25

#WritingWonders 16: What was your process to create the setting and make it realistic?
I count on the fact I've been reading and watching Science Fiction for more than 50 years to give me a feel for many environments. Then there's life experience from walking along a beach to crowd avoiding in a packed mall to help me get a feel for whatever environment I'm going for at the time.

2023-05-22 23:15:50

Yet another note to self. This is a first draft. I don't have to get all the nuances just right.
#AmWriting
#WritingCommunity
#SciFi
#SciFiNovel
#SpaceOpera
#IndieSciFi
#WritersOfMastodon
#AuthorsOfMastodon

2023-05-12 17:41:39

- reply

@npub15wt…7rek @npub1crh…34an @npub10d5…vvxa
I keep a mapbook in my car. It's all right there without Google highlighting the wrong location for what I'm looking for. Big box store in the middle of a suburban neighbourhood anyone?

2023-05-12 17:07:45

- reply

@npub15wt…7rek @npub1crh…34an @npub10d5…vvxa
How's this. I'm too cheap to buy over priced data so am often caught in places where my phone works just fine but I cannot access the internet.

2023-04-28 04:13:52

My wife is rocking out to tunes from the cult classic movie Heavy Metal. I suddenly want a chance to watch it again after all these years.