A way, way long time ago I drew this sketch. The idea was perfect. Fully formed, it popped into my mind… as ideas do when you’re too busy to deal with them properly. I hadn’t spent a lot of time on the script yet. It was still in a few large working chunks and had a long way to go. This was the idea to break the the story wide open. It’s nice to think each idea the THE idea when you’re the god in charge, right?

Then there’s hindsight. This idea wasn’t strong. It’s first failure is it’s unclear the mushroom cloud is in Mena’s mind. Out on the horizon, at this scale, it could be actual. That’s confusing the plot. It’s not helping it anyway.

Ideas are like plants. They all start out as seeds. They grow, or don’t. Some will be prize winners, some won’t. Each seed has a different potential. Each potential has to be realized and encouraged. Even then, some are duds.

I realised my deepest issue with this imagery. To include such a powerful symbol of destruction warrants a powerful need in the script. Mena’s ‘condition’ of seeing the past destruction of mankind is not enough in itself. There had to be a lot more riding on this moment. It needed a big payoff to balance the impact of such a cataclysmic event.

With some coaxing, this concept has become important to plot and character development. With a bit more, it will make the message of my story sing from it’s pages.  Even gods have dreams of greatness.