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Writing myself into the story |
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Writing is something I've always wished to be good at. And disciplined at. And I've not yet succeeded long term. A Facebook group, Brilliant and Amazing Writers and Mothers, has helped to motivate me in terms of my writing. This is my second blog, the first is by the same name on Wordpress. The Wordpress blog is rather more eclectic, whereas this one will be more focussed on developing my writing skills. |
| Day five of the world building exercise involves drawing a map. As my map is drawn in my notebook, I'll describe some of the relevant features here. The map is of the Western segment of a continent, at around the 35 degrees of latitude mark. There are other continents in this world, but my map shows only part of the one. To the western portion of my map is the ocean. No major islands are visible off the coastline, let alone any continental mass. The western portion of land contains podocarp forest, reminiscent of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, only more densely populated. And, obviously, on a continent rather than an island. It has a high annual rainfall, and fertile soils and temperate rainforest. Approximately 200 kilometres to the east of the coastline lies an alpine range. This is reminiscent of the Southern Alps in New Zealand, and of the Andes. There are several passes, with hazards including snow, ice, and avalanches. Avalanches are more common in spring as the ice begins to thaw. There are a few plateau regions which are lightly populated with small alpine villages. To the east of the alpine region is a semi-arid region. This region contains a significant portion of clay soil, perfect for pottery. As a result, there are a number of settlements based around the pottery trade, as well as other settlements. To the southern aspect of my map is a large river, leading from the alpine region to a near-peninsula on the western coastline. A large city lies to the immediate north of the river mouth. The northern aspect of my map shows a glimpse of a harbour. Unfortunately my page was too small to draw this in, the drawback of using A5 instead of A3. There is a city bordering on the western side of this harbour, between the harbour and the sea. There is a large lake approximately 100 kilometres north of the southern city, and approximately 75 kilometres south of the northern city. |
| In today's exercise, I'm to create a couple of climates and potential geological cataclysms that could shape those climates. Podocarp forest Also known as laurel forest - Earthquakes in plenty, young geologically - Slips and flooded valleys - Windward slope of mountain range - Wet forests Located: - on Western continental coasts between 35 and 50 degrees of latitude - on western coasts of large islands between 25 and 40 degrees of latitude - humid montaine regions of tropics - eastern margin of continents between 25 and 35 degrees of latitude Semi-arid regions Not true desert - Ash from volcanoes elsewhere - Meteorite - Cliff edge - Flash flood - Wind - Leeward side of mountain range (orographic lift) - Dust storms and sand storms - Tessellated mosaic covering ground Mountain masses between above regions - alpine - joining of two continental plates - earthquakes and geothermal activity - wet on western side, dry on eastern - remodelled by ice ages as well as quakes - wetlands - snow, ice, avalanches - passes Continental map Planet spin same direction as earth Podocarp forest around 35 degrees of latitude, semi-arid region slightly closer towards equator with alpine ranges between |
| Some potential climates. Podocarp forest Wet and wild, rains heavily, never quite dry Easy to get lost Dark and scary Plenty of water and wildlife How to find ones way? Hopelessly lost Easy to have an accident Hills and valleys Streams and rivers Limestone caves Green and veredant Clean Near desert Hot, dry, dusty Brown with reds and yellows Limited water for drinking Limited vegetation Flatish, able to see long distances Works with the potters apprentice |
| Today is the day for plot devices related to weather and climate... 1. Hot, dry climate - occupations, eg potter, clay - hard on new person - cool, blowy clothing 2. Podocarp forest - enclosed, variety of sights, damp, easy to lose oneself - hills and valleys, creeks, rivers 3. Storms --> seasonal - planned covering, adaptable - ready for the results 4. Unseasonal storms - fear, panic, flooding, loss of life, loss of livelihood, slips 5. Snow - cold, huddled, lack of sustenance, hypothermia, sluggish 6. Sunshine - warm, all going well, drying stuff out after storms, working hard but happy 7. Barber (the local name for the fog that rolls in up the river in a town I know) - cold morning - sluggish, foggy, dreary locale 8. Downpour - catch someone by surprise - holed up in pub or at home 9. Drizzle - never quite dry, unending, mood lowering 10. Windy - losing items, fear of falling from height, blown over tired |
A snippet, certainly not an entire story. This piece is designed to give me a better understanding of what work life is like for one of my characters, and the techniques he uses. Whether or not I use this character is still to be determined. It's likely the name will change, as Areon is a placeholder name.
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| Getting very interested in world building. I have just started a 30 day course which comprises 15 minutes a day of creating a world. In other words, I have 29 days to go. Day one involved exploring different climates and the feelings those climates evoke. The catch, I suspect, is that the same climate will evoke different feelings in different people. My list is currently in another room while I am stuck under a sleeping toddler, so typing it here is not going to happen right now. Incidentally, it's written in glittery blue, owing to an inability to find any other pen that works. It's very pretty. The course can be found at http://www.web-writer.net/fantasy/days/index.html |
| Update your blog now Yeah yeah, sure sure, yes okay Update in haiku |
| “Not all that tempts your wandering eyes And heedless hearts is lawful prize, . , Nor all that glisters gold.” Gray: The Cat and the Gold Fish. |
| "Update your blog." So my email insists. "Update your blog." Still gathering data. Still percolating. |
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