Really nice story, Devon. Great verisimilitude. Have you done burns yourself or is this just good research (or both) (and imagination, of course)? Thanks for this well-written story.
Thanks so much for reading my work, Joseph! It means so much to me that you said this.
I haven't done a burn myself, and this was the most research I've ever done for a short fiction piece. When I brought my story idea to the group, @juliegabrielli sent me down this path at the first Zoom meeting by suggesting I look into indigenous practices- super grateful for that. I'm love hiking and trekked through California in 2021, so wildfire has been on my mind a lot lately. The more I learned about Klamath, the area I wanted to set the story, the more I began to understand the conflict between settler fire management principles (AKA don't start fires) and indigenous knowledge.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nick. It means so much to me to know it moved you. I learned a ton researching the topic over the last month, and of course spent the last few days panicking to get it published with everyone else. Overall, happy with the result and excited to dig into everyone else's over the next few days, including yours.
I remember the fire that you reference as inspiration. Nicely done, incorporating the backstory, the trauma and on-going disdain the kid experiences (from his family, even!), and wrapping that up with a story of hope and purpose.
I appreciate the support, CB! After that fire, I kept thinking about how that kid must have felt being the center of so much hate. This is my hopeful tribute to the forest/the kid wherever he is.
Thanks for checking it out, Nick! Still making my way through all the Earth Day posts, but I'm so grateful for the community of other CliFi writers like yourself that it introduced me to.
Really nice story, Devon. Great verisimilitude. Have you done burns yourself or is this just good research (or both) (and imagination, of course)? Thanks for this well-written story.
Thanks so much for reading my work, Joseph! It means so much to me that you said this.
I haven't done a burn myself, and this was the most research I've ever done for a short fiction piece. When I brought my story idea to the group, @juliegabrielli sent me down this path at the first Zoom meeting by suggesting I look into indigenous practices- super grateful for that. I'm love hiking and trekked through California in 2021, so wildfire has been on my mind a lot lately. The more I learned about Klamath, the area I wanted to set the story, the more I began to understand the conflict between settler fire management principles (AKA don't start fires) and indigenous knowledge.
california is hiking paradise. SO many landscapes. i lived in sf for about 10 years. i'm sure the conflict is ever ongoing.
Devon, I loved your story. It's really well written and smooth reading. Loved your MC and Char.
The ending got me in the feels a little. Nice work!
PS - Love the title and learning more about this stuff. Great job bringing the real world into the craft of storytelling.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nick. It means so much to me to know it moved you. I learned a ton researching the topic over the last month, and of course spent the last few days panicking to get it published with everyone else. Overall, happy with the result and excited to dig into everyone else's over the next few days, including yours.
I remember the fire that you reference as inspiration. Nicely done, incorporating the backstory, the trauma and on-going disdain the kid experiences (from his family, even!), and wrapping that up with a story of hope and purpose.
I appreciate the support, CB! After that fire, I kept thinking about how that kid must have felt being the center of so much hate. This is my hopeful tribute to the forest/the kid wherever he is.
very real!
really interesting take on the prompt! thanks!
Thanks for checking it out, Nick! Still making my way through all the Earth Day posts, but I'm so grateful for the community of other CliFi writers like yourself that it introduced me to.
yeah me too! 28 stories is a chunk of fiction alright!
Beautiful story about someone messing up badly and getting a chance to learn.
That's exactly what I had in mind, and I'm sure that most of us can relate to screwing up big time once or twice. Thanks for reading, Thomas!
Really enjoyed this read, especially learning a bit about the controlled burning practices.
I loved this Devon!
Thanks so much, Annie!
A fantastic story and conclusion, Devon! I really enjoyed it.
Appreciate the read and the compliment, Brian!