The View from Ajnovaal Prime

I have a science fiction novel that is in the final revision process right now, whose main character suffers from mental and emotional scars from an experience in his past. As a Cadet, he and some fellow Cadets crash on a planet called Ajnovaal Prime, a barren and icy terrestrial planet. He and his classmates in the Academy have to survive the cold long enough to reach an abandoned research post, where they find out that their crash was no accident--their ship was shot down. A few years pass between that experience and the beginning of my novel.

At one point several months ago (before I'd been to Louisiana), I doubted whether the current version of the character should have everyday events remind him of memories of his experience on Ajnovaal Prime, or if he should not. I didn't want his flashbacks to be "overkill" and annoy the reader, but I also wanted to illustrate the fact that a person who has had a traumatic experiences would and could be reminded of them by present-day events in his or her life.

This could be "Post Traumatic Stress" or just the fact that a reminder is a reminder, no matter whether it comes before or after counseling or therapy.

Having been to Louisiana to muck houses, today I realized that I am more confident now about writing the character to have these reminders of his past. I have also experienced similar reminders in the day-to-day events in my life. While I hope that I don't need counseling or therapy, there are times when I see things that remind me of mucking houses, or things that remind me of seeing all the damage.

Fortunately, I remember so many "good" experiences from my two trips. I met a lot of people with open hearts and a willingness to serve. I saw how a total wreck of a house could be transformed into an empty shell. This empty shell is not just as a hollow skeleton of its former self, but also an orderly template ready to take the parts that make it whole. I smile at a lot of the memories, and I may cry at a few of them as well.

But on the whole, I now believe that the view from Ajnovaal Prime is necessary to the novel, to show that the main character does have the ability to cope with the ghosts of his past.