If you hope to see the eclipse today, I hope you have clear skies and good company. I’ve never seen a total solar eclipse and I’m looking forward to it. I also want to share ideas for using the eclipse in story. Such an unusual, natural phenomenon could bring a unique plot line to your story.
Eclipse in Crime Fiction
If I used the eclipse for a setting, it would have to be a backdrop for something serious crime–murder, an incredible or extravagant theft, or the pursuit of a master criminal.
During the last solar eclipse seven years ago, my husband noticed something at a business meeting. The meeting was held at a building with security at the entrance. The building emptied for people to view the eclipse at its height. Then everyone reentered the building. So many people came in at once that the security guards didn’t bother to check I.D.’s.
In a crime story, an employee smuggles in accomplices when the crowds return to a busy office building after viewing the total or near-total eclipse. Then they commit their crime later in the day. Or a crime is planned for site in the path of totality when the criminals know employees will be outside for several minutes. In our neck of the woods, the time for the total blocking of the sun is four minutes. So the crooks could plan for their crime to take that long, and I could use the countdown as headings for scenes to build suspense.
Eclipse in Speculative Fiction
Researching the myths surrounding eclipses might provide fertile ground for a story. The site timeanddate.com list many of them. Interestingly, most ancient cultures describe the eclipse in terms of some creature eating the sun.
I could write a story about a certain group of people whose special powers only work when they stand within the path of a total eclipse. They spend their lives traveling the world, from eclipse to eclipse, so they can use their powers, some for evil, some for good.
Or a villain is going to unleash some horrible power but can only accomplish it in the path of totality and if the eclipse is visible to him. The heroes know this. The day of the eclipse, the heroes and the villains watch the weather and race up and down the path trying to get into the perfect position.
I like the idea of this story a lot because I could work in the specific date and real locations that were in the path of totality. It would give a veneer of realism to a fantastic story. I also like the idea of the chase, and the characters racing around in numerous vehicles as the villain hunts for the right weather and the heroes hunt of the villain.
For more writing prompts from nature, click here.
What ideas do you have for using the eclipse in a story?
