As a writer develops their story, plot points may become irrelevant, and disappear. Or they may become too difficult to account for within the rules of the given universe.
Sometimes, they come back, almost like they have nine lives.
In the Deacon Carver universe, Earth is lost to history. Humanity has colonized a number of worlds, a few that are hospitable (and thus rich) and many that are not quite hospitable and thus reliant on the others to some extent.
All of the flora and fauna that exists on the hospitable worlds has been replaced with seeds and DNA from Earth. This DNA is very valuable. Wars are fought over it.
Most species of animals are extremely expensive to purchase and upkeep. There are monopolies on whole breeds of wildlife and domesticated animals.
Among these highly controlled and rare species that we’d know as the domestic short hair cat. In the story’s past, the Interplanetary Union ship Chaucer partook a dangerous mission (unusual for a diplomatic vessel) and in gratitude for its successful actions, a Sheik gifted the ship three cats.
This was how I got the cats into the story. Our main protagonist, Deacon Carver, a man of questionable morals, has never seen a cat before, but he knows they’re each worth a fortune. He can’t help but make plans. After all, the ship has three. Would anyone actually notice if one disappeared?
As I developed the story, this sub-plot derailed it repeatedly. What happens to the cats during combat? What happens when they have to abandon the ship? The cats became a drag on the story, slowing it down.
So I did what any good writer would do, I excised them from the story (in editing terms it’s called “killing your darlings,” basically erasing a beloved element of a story because it doesn’t fit).
But now I’m at a point in the second story where the protagonists, including Deacon, need an unimaginable amount of wealth to buy the services and temporary loyalty of a specific villain.
And I’m thinking about the cats again.
As much as writers are told that they have to be ready to “kill their darlings,” we’re also told to never throw anything out, because you never know when it will become useful.
Deacon’s disappearing cats are getting another life. Who knew?
= = =
Deacon Carver’s origin story
Sixteen and stuck in a dead-end town, with dead-end jobs. Generations come and generations go. No one really escapes. So why not play slaughter ball, an underwater race that’s likely to kill you?
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