  Action/Adventure
This week: Making A Map Edited by: Legerdemain  
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Mapping Your Reference Points
While in the middle of writing a story, it occurred to me that I had taken four days to get my character from one point of the country to another, but returning them only took a day and a half. Oops. I've often seen maps in the front or back cover of fantasy books, showing the different regions the characters travel to or referenced. So I got out my pencil and paper and drew out the map from my head. It was hard! I sketched out my world, regions and villages on the paper, adding little notes about what happened in each place. I also added a mountain, which in an inspirational moment, added to a difficult travel scene.
While it certainly seemed to make sense in the old gray matter, it turned out pretty crazy on paper. I had a good laugh over it and thought it might make a good topic for my newsletter. While figuring the time and distance, I just took a sticky note corner and initialed it with the character's name and moved it around my map. Seeing it in a concrete manner really brought out the fact that I needed to adjust my timeline and some of the details in my story.
Or give my character a horse. LOL! So while you might have a great time world building, it would be prudent to keep track of all the forests, gorges, mountains and rivers your characters trod through. Pop in your village where they rested, the pub where they received information and the rocky crag on which the witch lived. And, as always, Write On!
This month's question: How do you track your character movements in their world?
Answer below  Editors love feedback! 
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#2021284 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: I traveled by carriage close to my destination, whereupon a lad I had contracted earlier waited. He stepped from the shadows as I stepped down to the cobblestones. I flipped him a coin, and he tipped his disheveled derby, climbed aboard the gig, and gave me a conspiratorial wink as he coaxed the horse forward.
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#2049101 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: “Don’t shoot that in here! Your bedroom is no place to be shootin’ a gun.”
“Who said that?”
“Me, your wall mirror.”
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#2050005 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: “What’s wrong, Nik?” Niklas shrugged.
“Nothing.” Johnny rolled his eyes.
“It’s not nothing and you know it.” Niklas bit his lower lip and his hands started shaking. Johnny now felt confusion and a little bit of fear run through him. His teammate never acted like this. Something big was up and whatever it was scared him. Niklas met his eyes.
“If you want to know, Sean Avery scares me… badly”. Johnny’s eyes widened.
Excerpt: The tall man groaned out his displeasure at the thought. Ivy, his betrothed, had died on the way to this forest and now they must fight their way through it. Layle wasn't a warrior, nothing like Garen or Kyle; he could barely use Fire of Color. It was said that the Dark Lord took refuge in the Dark Forest, now known as the Forest of the Dead. He could feel the coldness of the forest creeping over him, sending goose-flesh up his arms and neck.
Excerpt: The old man walked slowly alongside his bicycle. Exhausted, he was on his way back home from his fishing boat in the bay. The sun pelted its rays onto his back, and his sweaty shirt clung to him as if it had claws. He never had enough strength left to ride over the small hill ahead and he would dismount as he rode through the village. The happy little stray dog everyone called Scotty, always joined him as he passed the rum shop. Trotting behind, smelling the tires and hoping for a morsel of food from the satchel that swung on his handle bars. Sometimes the old man shared a corner of bread with her, but soon, Scotty realized that there would be no gift coming from him today, and returned to the shade under the shop, her tail ever-wagging. The coastal island breeze kicked up a bit. It carried a faint smell of brine as a passenger, and cooled the perspiration trickling down his forehead. He tipped his hat to some older gentlemen he knew, sitting in the shop doorway, and continued on.
Excerpt: Haroon locked the bathroom door, silenced the electronic muezzin blasting the call to prayer from his phone and hoped Asiyah hadn’t heard. He didn’t have the energy for the discussion that would follow if she had. Besides, he’d just installed Price Tag.
The terms and conditions blurred into digital hieroglyphics rocketing past the phone’s screen as he scrolled through to select ‘Accept’. Black lines spiralled across the grey background and transformed it into a camera shutter which dilated to reveal the bathroom.
Haroon nodded, pointing the phone at the sink. “Nice animation.” Took a photo. “Let’s check this thing out.”
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This month's question: How do you track your character movements in their world?
Answer below Editors love feedback!
Last month's question: Do you like to drop in little interesting facts in your story? I do!
How do you use them in your writing?
Quick-Quill  answered: Oh My yes! While writing the next 50k on my novel I was watching the Jodi Aries trial. I created a character that was mormon. I threw in some information I'd heard from psople and witnesses. I love Hoarder tv shows. I used that as the vehicle to ther things moving at the house. fun facts are great to read and write.
ENB  responded: Love this interesting little tidbit!  You just set off a brainstorm in my imagination!  And yes, I love putting little odds and ends into my writing. It just gives my fantasy world so much more character and makes it unique.
Elfin Dragon-finally published  sent: I do like putting interesting facts into my story. If not regarding the main character but for the world he/she lives in and/or any religion in it. I think these things help the reader understand where the characters live better and help the reader become closer to the characters.
Mary Ann MCPhedran  replied: I write poetry and sometimes when I'm out I carry a camera or my phone and if I see any of the scenery that I think would creative material for a poem take a picture.
Shanachie revealed: I've used colors more than once in my stories. Both candles and flowers. Its a lot of fun to add those little tidbits and I enjoy the research before I start writing (provided I don't get distracted by the research!) |
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Action/Adventure: July 22, 2015 Issue [#7118]
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