21 Futures #10 — Lowery Station Terminal — KT Morley

Cool.

And I was really excited about writing a science fiction story and for Bitcoin, which I'm class of '21 in Bitcoin, so I'm a new person in Bitcoin and it really excited me to get involved and to write a story about it and see if I could connect some of the things that I've seen in the past couple years. So, and the things that ignited passion in me for Bitcoin.

That's, yeah, that's great to hear that you found the submission on the, one of the top sort of submissions websites, Duotrope. I'd also recommend, um, the Submissions Grinder. It's a similar platform as well, but for any short fiction writers out there, it is a brilliant place to find anthologies and calls for submissions, magazines that you can submit to. Um, I'm a short story writer too, so yeah, a lot of crossover there and, um, yeah, I know you found it. Uh, yeah, great. So. What other kinds of stories, art, or creative endeavors are inspiring you and interesting you in the Bitcoin space?

Stories. I'm constantly listening to podcasts and new venues come out. I know we just had West Coast Bitcoin Conference here in the States, and I'm looking forward to some of the podcasts that come out from that and the interviews and so forth. So those stories, they always interest me. Digging a little deeper in that right now. I'm doing some research on putting together a Lightning node and I want to build it myself. I, I don't want to just get a kit. I want to find all the pieces and find out how to assemble it and, and go through the tech background there to, to do what I need to do to get it up and running. And Heatbit, which is a heating device that you can use in your house, and that's kind of new on the market as well. I want to do a little research there and And see what I can do. I, I live in the mountains, so a little extra heat would be appreciated this time of year.

Yeah. Yeah. And we, we're going into winter as well, so.

Yes, sir.

Hopefully not a Bitcoin winter, but a, a winter. Yeah. Great. Well, that's, that's good to know. Yeah, there's definitely so many great podcasts out there and shout out to some of the other ConsenSys Network podcasts, Freedom for and others I think forthcoming. So check those out. Yeah, it's, you know, I asked the question because I think it's part of this idea that we want to tap into of stories and art comprising more of the conversation around finance and Bitcoin because people care about stories and people care about, You know, art. Um, there's so much wonderful like how-to and explanation content, which is more functional. Um, you know, that's fantastic, but it doesn't always attract new people to the space. So that's sort of the, the mission of 21 Futures and, uh, something I'm glad to say you are part of.

I've also used the, uh, some of the AI, AI generators like Midjourney for art. to do some investigating, solve it for some of the works that I write to see if I can find pictures that would scope that out. But I think the tech future right now is really, really innovative and exciting. There's a lot of change happening and I love the way that Bitcoin ties into that because I think I see it as a lever to move people forward. Hey, I'm not, I'm not the youngest guy on the block, but I'm excited to be a part of the community. So it's really awesome.

Yeah, 100%. I think we've got some stories in the book about AI and, um, some of the technological breakthroughs. And

that's gonna be exciting.

It feels like we're on the cusp of this big shift in, in humanity, doesn't it? In, in, you know, human history. Uh, but I suppose every generation says that, you know, maybe not sort of in the medieval period, but our current—

But it's, it's tough to find the people who embrace the future rather than those that cling to the past, 'cause it's hard to let go and move forward. So,

great point. Uh, yeah, tell us a bit more about your writing. You said you're a short story writer. Um, what else do you write? Is it mostly fiction?

Um, yeah, I've, I've had a number of pieces, well, not a number, a handful of pieces of fiction, mostly fantasy published. Um, I just started a handful years ago and I'm kind of self-taught, self-led. I'm a math teacher. My writing skills are Uh, below par probably. So I need a lot of assistance. Grammarly is a great tool for me, but I think that's helped me develop a process for getting engaged, getting involved one step at a time. So yeah, I've, I've had a, a few fantasy pieces, swords. There was a crossbow, Crossbones and Crosses, which is a, a pirate theme with, um, paladins involved. That was a neat— Neat little story that I did. And in that one I was able, the characters in that are, are my family, my wife, my kids. So they play a lead, even the family cat. They all play a kind of a lead role in that. And it's, it's fun to bring those things into my stories. But for science fiction, this, this Bitcoin story is really my first successful— And, and you've subbed for publications, so you understand what that's like. This is my first successful sci-fi bid. I subbed to Asimov's last week and got the thank you for playing letter, so I understand.

If, if you get a response, that's, that's something. I think sci-fi is one of the few markets for short fiction which actually pays because there is a more of a general interest. I think, you know, these publications like, um, Asimov's and what are the other big ones? are slipping my mind at the moment, but there's 4 or 5 big sci-fi publications that I think are bought by non-writers, and that's quite rare for short fiction, right? Short fiction is often writers talking to writers. I think hopefully in our case not, because again, there are so many people who are interested in Bitcoin that are not necessarily in it just to read the work of other writers. Um, yeah. And, and going back to what you said about it being your first of many, hopefully sci-fi publications, it's cool that, you know, you can come at this from different angles. You know, we've got writers from all kinds of professions and backgrounds, and it's a strength. It's a real strength in a way to come at it, you know, as a, as a science guy, as a maths teacher. Mm-hmm. You know, you have a unique perspective to, to bring, and sci-fi's Great to explore all of that technological and mathematical prowess.

Yeah, it's, it's, it's been good. It's been good.

Right. So more fiction coming from you. Um, yeah. Uh, I will

actually, the story that I just had rejected from Asimov's, my, uh, my honors freshman English class is using that piece. Sans any, you know, name recognition or anything for me to review short stories, uh, the story arc, setting, um, rising and action and things of that nature. Uh, and the creative writing class is also using the story for some of the same purposes. So I'm leveraging my position in my building set.

That's it. You've discovered a writing hack. Just, um, I have access. Immediate readership. Yeah, that's, that's great. I'm sure you'll get some, um, positive feeling from that. And yeah, well, good. Connecting

kids,

kicking on.

The whole job in teaching is to connect kids, and I think we do a, a disservice sometimes in only focusing on larger works. A lot of kids aren't interested in reading, like I said earlier, 80,000 words. It's just not their gig. Uh, you have to find a way to engage them at a lower level to get them in the game at all. So I think focusing some of the shorter stuff is a great avenue to do that.

It's a really, really interesting difference between American and British education is that, to my understanding, in America, um, short stories are taught a lot more in, in high school. I didn't really come across short stories at all until my mid to late 20s, and I thought, this is dumb. It's not a novel, it's not a movie. I don't understand the form of the story and what, Point is. So we're, um, yeah, I think in Britain it would be great to see, well, and everywhere, 'cause I think short stories are amazing, a bit more, um, focus on that. And yeah, I come across so many, uh, American writers, clients, students, teachers who are, who are involved with short stories.

Mm-hmm.

It's great. And there's so much, it's a Definitely a much bigger market and like a genuine avenue for people to care about short stories. Right. Uh, let's talk about your short story, Lowry Station. It is a futuristic lesson in orange pilling. That's how I'd describe it. Are you, I mean, I know you said you are quite new to Bitcoin. Um, are you an orange piller? Are you somebody who tries to Spread the word and be an advocate for Bitcoin?

I can when there's an opportunity and, but I haven't had much experience at it. And like anything in life, the less experience you have, the harder it is the first couple times you go through it until you figure out, you know, you, you rehash it in your brain. It's like, yeah, I did that approach wrong, or I should try this next time. My MC, in the story is a little more devoted, committed, experienced. He's lecturing at a, I call it a coinference, but so he's got experience at that. I also think when you're talking about Bitcoin and you're talking to people, there's a readiness in the other person, or there isn't. So if you're just beating your head against a wall, your knowledge base isn't, isn't gonna really help you. But if somebody's eager to learn, if somebody is interested, somebody's already hit rock bottom and trying to find a way out, um, which I think is really kind of the case for, for my second character. She's just, she's lost. So I think those two coming together, he provides her first in his persona, he's anchored and he knows what he's doing and where he wants to be. And for her, and there's a great age difference between the two. I mean, he's a college professor, probably my age or a little older. Um, she's 20, 25 years old and just trying to figure out where to go in the world, um, or on the space station in this case. So there's that, there's a gap there. Um, but she, but she's looking for something and, and this guy who just radiates confidence and assurance and, and, Just life focus really catches her up. So that's kind of how it starts.

Yeah, I wanted to, I wanted to mention that. I was just about to say that the professor is such a confident character without being smarmy or smug or, you know, too glib about, you know, being a, being a know-it-all about Bitcoin. I think it's a really good lesson for everyone in how To approach people with confidence. And yeah, I also like what you, what you said about the, the difference between these characters. It shows how people can be brought together. Um, but it does require people to hit that rock bottom or people to, to be open to change. And normally we're only open to change when we have to be. Yeah.

Correct. We have to be open when we want to be, but in order to want to be open to change, you have to be looking.

So, yeah, for sure. Tell us a bit more about the process of writing the story. Where was the, how did the idea come about?

Well, I was thinking When I saw the prompt, I was totally excited. I'm like, oh, I really want to write for this. I hope I can come up with something that's going to work. And then I start bouncing a few things through my head of how I can start. And then I kind of came up with the idea that what I want to do is I want to capture a little bit of my experience in the past 3 years, a year leading up to getting into Bitcoin itself. of study and things. So I wanted to hit on some of the things that I've seen, some of the phrases I've heard, some of the people in the space. So the 2 stations I mentioned, the space stations in the story are the Lowry Station and the Alden Station. And Jason Lowry and then Lyn Alden are prominent characters since I've been involved in Bitcoin. So I really go out and I phrase most of my story around the timeframe that I've been in. So there are characters, there are lines, um, there are phrases, and I'll cover one of 'em when I, when I start my story. I actually led it, led with it, and then we edited it down a little further in the first paragraph where I try and put these, like, I don't know if there's so much Easter eggs, I'm not that clever, but they are touchpoints to culture, which I wanted to hit on from our timeframe right now. Just to kind of embed them in the story as we move through. So there are, there are a lot of little references that are, that are in there.

Yeah, I think that's true of many of the stories in the book. I mean, I don't know if we could rebrand Easter eggs as sort of Easter nodes. I don't know, how could we? Overthinking this maybe, but, um, there's so many Easter eggs that hopefully people will, will find and, and get. And some very exciting kind of secret ones. Probably shouldn't be saying anything this, but if you're reading, if you're watching this and then if you're reading the book, read the book very carefully. That's all I say. It could be, um, a great benefit if you do so.

That would be fun.

Uh, yeah. So I guess it's time. Let's hear a little bit of the story then, Kevin. Yeah, if you're ready, um, let's read a bit from Lowry Station Terminal.

I have it here. Lowry Station Terminal. I also, this is, um, I don't have the latest edit, so there might be a handful of phrases or, um, comments in here that are a little different in the printed version, but this is gonna get us pretty close to, to real life here for what I'm saying in the story. So

great. Okay, thanks. Take it away.

She leaned against the column nearest my couch in the Lowry Station launch bay and pinned me with a raised eyebrow look. Hi there, sailor, she said. Her hair was slicked to one side, traces of starburst colors washing through in a faded array of one-time glamour. Her clothing matched her hair's old, defeated approach to fashion consciousness. She had a look of a late teen or early 20-something. I closed my copy of The Generational Standard and folded my hands on the book. Looking up, I asked, can I help you? Sure. I need a lift. It looks like you're going my way. I'm sorry, I offered. Which way is that? I need to get off this station, she fretted, wringing her hands. There are no jobs, no opportunities, no life for a girl like me. I had something to say about the model girl she presented, But I decided to tack differently in our conversation. I tapped my book in thanks for the self-check and began. So you're saying there isn't any work here? I just came from Bitcoinference 2121 and the place was bubbling with energy. Lots of work there too. Oh no. She eyed me suspiciously, stepping back from the column. You're one of those kooky conference, are you? She waved her hands in the air in mock terror. You think Saint Satoshi is coming to save us all? I don't know about saints and all that, but the saving is real. It is instead one of personal journeys and growth and freedom. Freedom of mind, spirit, finance. I could tell by her vapid stare that my comments didn't register. I mean, she heard it, but it fell between us and left silence in its wake. I looked down at my book. Perhaps there was truth in what the SAAI had penned. Our journeys with Bitcoin and the ledger are personal and disconnected from our biological age. SAAI convincingly argues that open protocols require open minds, that the indoctrination of closed protocols and rules subdue the mind into farces. At the moment, Her scene closed, and I was also hustling the door shut from my end. Perhaps I was hasty, I offered. I sometimes drive straight to the heart of the matter. In doing so, I miss where people are in their own understanding. I hiked my suitcase from next to me to the floor, slid over, and offered her a spot to sit and talk. I didn't think she'd take me up on it. Most didn't. Some only sat down so they could argue their worldview, but she looked more worn than warrior. Which would she choose? You're not some creeper, are you? Ma'am, you approached me, used a fancy stance and a hey sailor too. Why don't you sit down and tell me what has you so interested in leaving? 3 days of diehard deep dives and rabbit holes of understanding at the conference had left me thirsting for a more mundane, discussion. Everyday meetings with normies are inspiring conversations. I find my passion is rekindled and stretched in the quietness of sharing Bitcoin's quintessential beauty. I think I'll, I'll stop right there. I think it gives us a good intro to, to my 2 characters and kind of where they are.

Great. Yeah, I'm sure people can imagine the ensuing conversation and you'll have to read that in the book. Thanks so much for reading that, Kevin. It's really, um, nicely read. I think, um, there's definitely—

I was worried about that—

a role for you as a, as a story performer as well as a writer.

Maybe we'll, we'll see what comes. I'm retiring at the end of the year, so I'm looking forward to something else to do.

Yeah. Well, writing can definitely fill that, uh, fill that space for sure.

Yes, it will.

Maybe a trip to Lowry Station is on the cards.

I'd love to go talk to Musk, see what he's got planned.

Yeah. So just before we go, do you have any advice for any Bitcoin writers out there? Could be Bitcoin writers, could be short story writers. What would you like to tell them?

First thing is write. You've got to write and you should be writing probably something. Doesn't have to be long. Just write a paragraph or 2 in the morning or at lunch or in the evening when you get home from work or right before you put the kids to bed or before your favorite show comes on. But you've got to write. You've got to be putting words on paper somewhere on a computer screen. Also, you have to read. And the reading part is really to expose yourself to different ideas, different writing styles. Different ways that words come together to express an idea. I have always found fascination with, with how you can tie words together to get something across, which I really enjoyed in my teaching career and working with kids because I could say things a little differently because I could put different words together and it, it built a connection because I just wasn't like everybody else who was teaching them that. Another thing, if you're a short story writer. Is engage in poetry, read poetry, pen a few lines. Um, it's a shorter format and there is so much meaning packed into those poems, uh, that it can really kind of open your eyes to what you can do. And you have to think, you're, you're, you're going through that experience. Think about what you're reading, think about what you're writing and what you're trying to say. Um, because those are important components of what you're trying to do. Uh, and you gotta stay connected with that. The last thing I'll add there is find other writers. It is really, really hard to work in a vacuum and to rely solely on yourself for your motivation, for your, uh, next steps for where you're going. Find a writer's conference that's local. If it's not local, find one that's, you know, a day's ride away where you can spend the night and you can attend a conference where you connect with people. Find things online, online communities. But become engaged. If it's your passion, then be passionate about it, uh, and engage the community. 'Cause you, there's a lot to learn. There really is a lot to learn. My write, my local writer's group here in the Pocono Mountains, there are so many talented writers and some of 'em didn't start writing until they were 70 years old and they have dozens of books out. Yeah. It's just outstanding to see what you can do and who out there writes. Connecting is important.

Yeah. Great. So much great advice there. And it's, it's nice that we can have much easier access to communities and to writing groups now because of, because of the internet and the spread of all of this. So yeah, very cool. And, um, yeah, I think wonderful advice for budding writers, whatever you want to write, write, read, and connect with others. Yeah. And it's a never-ending journey.

It is. And it is a journey. It, it, there's your hero's journey right there.

Yeah. It's kind of ironic, isn't it? That, right, all writers are on a hero's journey, but they never finish it.

No, they don't.

That'd be like my novel, right? Great. Well, on that note, Kevin, thanks very much for coming on the show. Where can people find you online? Do you have, uh, any writer's profiles or, or

Websites? I have a, uh, a website on a Facebook page, Author K.T. Morley. And, and interestingly enough, when that was, when I had to take over the classroom, I, uh, to connect with my students, 'cause the important part about teaching is connecting with your kids. And I was, I was meeting them online like this, and it's difficult to build a relationship with teenagers like this. Um, so I would do reads of some of my short stories and post them on Facebook. Uh, I titled it Storytime with an Algebra Teacher. So they're there. I'm comically dressed in some of them, but it's okay. It's, it's part of the connection business.

Great, great stuff. All right, we'll check out Kevin's, uh, Facebook page. Thanks very much for coming on the show and best of luck with your future writing.

Thank you and good luck with the, uh, with the book. I'm really looking forward to seeing it connecting with the other writers. That'll be a lot of fun.

For sure. All right, thanks for coming on the show then, Kevin.

Thank you.

See you around.

Have a great day.