The Corner Laundromat at the Center of the Universe 11/1/14

"There's three things that will never change; people eat, people shit, and people have dirty laundry. Now I ain't a chef and I ain't wiping no ones ass, so I settled for this." My now manager motioned at the interior of the Laundromat. I grimaced as I took in the stained floor, dim lighting, and what I swore was a foot long roach scuttling across the floor. "So unlike those assholes at their coffee shops or their bars, I'm in a real sustainable business. That's job security right there."

The first paragraph from a novel I'm in the process of writing help sets the tone.  This story takes place at a dingy laundromat on a planetoid named V29 in the center of the galaxy. It's a pitstop planet with gas stations, convenience stores, a repair shop, a laundromat, a motel, and a bar. The most traffic it sees is during sporting events when all other nearby venues have been booked. The planet itself is always covered in night. While they have machines keeping the oxygen flowing, there was no bother to instal an artificial atmosphere or sense of day and night. People that live here are either escaping from something, extremely down on their luck, poor, or running away.

Which is where we come to our main character, Observer or Obsy for short. She had a wad of emergency cash, the bare minimum of belongings, and doesn't wish to disclose her name. What category would she fall under, especially considering she is obviously educated and her jacket is name brand. What of our other main characters? No one comes to this place through choice, but through necessity.

This story is character driven and focused around the laundromat and those that work there; two humans and three aliens. It's all about discovering what led each of the characters to this life with the central focus being on Obsy's mystery. The characters bounce off of her.

I obviously already know the ending. I know most of the stories as well. I'm allowing my characters to change that as I write since you never truly know a personality until you're knee deep in plot and backstory. It begins with Obsy arriving and it will end with her leaving. Those two facts aren't important. It's the meat of the story that is important. What is between the beginning and ending.

This was inspired from a story I had wanted to write. "My life and times at the Laundromat" would have been about the many stories I have experienced throughout my life from a variety of people. I was just a common thread observer tying everyone together. I decided to give it a fantastical twist because that would be far more interesting and I love writing environments.