By Kathryn Lane
Technology innovations are accelerating at warp speed. At least that’s what it seems like in my writing world.
A year-and-a-half ago, I started research about a child math
prodigy interested in rockets and space travel. The story takes place in the present
day. The plot revolves around a family-secret type mystery and a subplot
involving the girl’s dream of space exploration.
Then my commitment to write another novel in my Nikki Garcia
mystery series shelved the girl-genius project.
Recently I took up the prodigy manuscript again and realized that maybe I should re-do my research since space travel has changed – several
ordinary citizens have flown to or near the Kármán line – an imaginary but practical boundary separating mere air travel from space
travel. Blue Origin flew 62 miles above the earth’s surface and kissed the Kármán line while Virgin Galactic flew a bit
over 50 miles, the altitude where the Federal Aviation Administration awards
astronaut wings to crew members.
The real clencher is SpaceX’s flight to the International Space
Station. The crew were civilians. These three events impact important details
in my young girl’s story.
All of those events were anticipated in the manuscript. Yet now they’ve actually occurred and it’s possibly a game changer for me. I'm wondering if I should make several substantial edits. Not that those space companies will be mentioned specifically, but the accomplishments do impact the story.
I can leave the novel as it was originally conceived and not
re-do my research or I can spend time rethinking and rewriting it. You, as
writers, might tell me it’s irrelevant to update it since I’d never complete it
if I keep revising for the latest space and scientific discoveries. That’s true,
but these events have been groundbreaking. To ignore them would be the easy way
out. Plus the developments of the past year should make a positive difference
in the young girl’s story.
Regardless of whether I update or not, the novel is about three-fourths done. If I’m going to make changes, now is the time.
Has anyone else faced this issue? If you have any advice, please share it!
Kathryn's latest Nikki Garcia Mystery Thriller: Missing in
Miami (available on Amazon)
About Kathryn
Kathryn
Lane started out painting in oils and quickly became a starving artist. To earn
a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in
international finance with a major multinational corporation. After two
decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery and
suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from her Mexican background as well as her travels in over ninety
countries.
Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com
Photo credits:
All photographs are used
in an editorial and/or educational manner
Earth Math by NASA
Rocket Launch - Twitter
SpaceX's Dragon Capsule Docking with the International Space Station by NASA
