I've Been Stuck On This For a While Now

[Chippairaptor]

I've been wanting to write a science fiction story inspired by the series Terra Nova. However I've been absolutely stuck on the introductory post for God only knows how long.

What I have so far

In the wake of World War III, the planet Earth was left a husk of its former self. The surface of the planet was scarred by radiation, and poisoned by industrial pollution. Mankind was on the brink of extinction. However, the human race's salvation came from an unexpected source: a breakthrough in dark matter research. The project accidentally opened up a link to the an alternate timeline in the ancient past. Drone exploration confirmed it to be 60 million years ago.

The first group sent back in time constructed walls and built a basic settlement. After them came farmers and agricultural specialists, and following them came scientists to study the rich ecosystem of Cretaceous North America. After some debate and deliberation, a lottery system was implemented to determine who would be sent back to the Cretaceous period.

The main focus of the story is the Armored Reconnaissance Corps, a branch of the security division devoted to exploring the Cretaceous world for resources the settlement can use and possible dangers to the settlement. I want the story to be about exploration and dealing with the dangerous wildlife of Hell Creek, combining light horror tones with light military sci-fi and survival.

I would love any and all feedback, especially from people who enjoy writing science fiction.

 

[Lockdown]

I think your introductory post is great!

I absolutely loved the show (Unfortunate how a season two was never conceived), and I think you’re post is setting up the world you’re trying to write greatly.

My only advice is for one, and at maximum two, more paragraphs to introduce the world before you jump into the main character(s) and the story. Otherwise your story will feel like an info dump that the reader didn’t ask for. You’re trying to rope them in and then reveal other aspects as the story progresses.

Overall, even if your intro is brief, I think it’s great and exciting. The intro also catches what makes the show interesting and wastes little to no time in hooking the reader.

Good job!