Writing science fiction; samples from The Book of Examples....
These two samples come from a collage book I made in 2001 called The Book of Examples, where they were set as if they were newspaper clippings, with justified right margins, and were illustrated with collages on the facing pages. [There's a post about making these books at http://ozarque.livejournal.com/175632.html .]


Arrowsprite creates minor color-turbulence
over city; residents delighted

The Interplanetary Press
TSAGOULIPLEX -- August 23

"It wasn't a fullscale skyquake," says Granicia
Hollywale, who lives only a few blocks from
where the arrowsprite was sighted, "but it was
gorgeous! I'll never forget it as long as I
live!" The arrowsprite came in just after dawn this
morning and swooped down to circle the Statue
of Virtual Liberty where it looks out over Tsagou-
liplex Harbor; it stayed only a few seconds. (Not
long enough, climatologists say, to set off a sky-
quake.)

Photos taken by residents in the area show an
incredible assortment of colored stripes and bands
over the city during the brief color-turbulence
episode. "There was no danger to anyone," says
Nmu Hekitor Jan of Phutro Multiversity, "except
esthetically." Asked for an explanation, the pro-
fessor -- who clearly doesn't agree with Mrs. Hol-
lywale that the display was "gorgeous" -- laughed
and said he had never seen anything "so gaudy or
so confused." It was, he said, like an orchestra
performance where the musicians were playing in
half a dozen different keys at the same time.

City maintenance crews reported that damage done
to the Statue of Virtual Liberty by arrowsprite ra-
diation was minor and can be repaired "in a couple
of hours."

Why would an arrowsprite want to visit the Statue
of Virtual Liberty? "I suppose it was just curious,"
said Professor Jan.
======


Fourth skyquake this week hits Noo Province;
"skyquake bath" fad alarms authorities

The Interplanetary Press
TSAGOULIPLEX -- August 28

There have been four skyquakes over Noo Province
this week, ranging in strength from 2.4.6 to 4.1.0 on
the Braddihosta scale, all triggered by arrowsprites.
Scientists tell IP this is not abnormal and has no par-
ticular significance. "Skyquakes happen all the time,"
says Hemet Olligrowsanek of Phutro Multiversity.
"Statistically speaking, it's inevitable that there will
sometimes be clusters."

But officials aren't sure how they should respond to
the fad among Noo women for sitting outside during
the quakes, a practice locals call "skyquake bathing."
Especially when it involves pregnant women, who
claim it will give them stronger and smarter babies.
"It's superstition," an official told IP after being prom-
ised anonymity, "of the most ignorant kind. But these
are women, after all -- rural women. It's the
sort of thing you expect them to come up with." When
IP responded that what you'd expect is that the women
would be scared, the official only shrugged.
"They've been lucky so far," he said. "Wait till one of
them takes a direct hit from an arrowsprite... they'll
change their tune!"

Dr. Olligrowsanek reminded IP that no record exists
of an arrowsprite ever having targeted a living crea-
ture, but added that we have no way of knowing
whether that's deliberate or accidental on the arrow-
sprite's part.
=====