Novel Progress: title reveal

In the days before NaNoWriMo began, I finally selected a title for my novel: Prime Conditions.


The "prime" part is the nickname I've used for the novel for years. I knew that the characters are human settlers on two planets, one of which was named Prime. The people from that planet are called Primes, and the Primes have evolved to have a new blood type, also called Prime.

Yeah, "prime" was a given. But I felt like the title should have two words. So, prime what?

Many options floated through my mind over the last few years. Some of the contenders were Prime Obligation, Prime Objective, Prime Talent, Prime Suspect, Prime Instinct, Prime Characteristic. All worthy titles, and ones I'll keep in mind in case I need them for a sequel.

Whew. A sequel. Sometimes I sneak up on that idea and peek at it out of the corner of my eyes, and then run away. It's scary to think about a sequel when the current novel still needs so much work.

A few days before NaNoWriMo started, I was watching a weather report about an upcoming storm and the meteorologist used the phrase "prime conditions." As soon as I heard it, I knew that was the title I was looking for. The "conditions" aspect pulls together several threads from the plot.

For instance, the main character has a psychic talent. Some people refer to it as a gift. At times it feels like a curse. Often it's more like a condition Zach has to live with, something he can manage and ignore much of the time.

There are also conditions tied to his talent. First, he must keep it a secret. You see, it's a talent only Primes have. Zach's father came from Prime, but Zach was born and raised on Arden, and most people on Arden don't believe in psychic talents. And the leaders on Prime want to keep it that way.

So while Zach's talent comes in handy, a condition of fitting in on Arden is not admitting he has a Prime talent. He knows he'd lose all credibility if he claims to believe in such things.

Another condition is staying away from his mother. One of the few people on Arden who does believe in Prime talents -- and who believes Zach has such a talent -- has threatened to kill Zach's mother unless Zach cuts off all contact with her. Why? Well, that's a long story. Novel-length, in fact.

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