Day Five. So, today’s exercise is to draw out the physical contours of your map, and then identify at least three places that your people might live. You don’t need names for them yet– we’ll worry about names next week, when we give our people language. Just draw a dot on the map or maybe […]
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Nyeargh. Day Four. For 15 minutes, jot down some of the Really Big Land Features you want in your story and just think “what if that were made by….” Write down a couple of causes for those features and scars, and stick it all into your notebook. Which scars are slow-force scars (like plate tectonics),
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Starting earlier than “almost bedtime” today. Not that I’m sure it’s going to help–it’s nearing ninety here and I’m pretty sleepy because of it. Onward. Day Three. Read over your list from Day 1 and then turn to a blank piece of paper. Close your eyes and think about what kind of feeling you like
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Well, I mean to walk Flame over most of her world at some point, so I’ll go for a typhoon when Flame thought she’d just find herself a shipwreck to get rich off. She was expecting some swimming with hottie beach-living natives, and instead she’s stuck in a leaky hut with Ryahled getting dripped on and hoping the dang place stays standing–and that it’s far enough above the high-water line.
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Japan’s mountains: ancient wisdom. Patience, contentment, and seeking of beauty. (I’m a bit biased.)
China’s karst landscape: sudden hills. Mystery. The exotic.
The fog desert: life finds a way. Tenacity and stubborn will.
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So I feel the need to do something with this blog o’ mine, and I can’t bring myself to follow the A-to-Z crowd as so many are doing right now. (I think it’s a great idea, and I’m sure it’s awesome, but I get this stubborn streak sometimes, and it hits me at the worst
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Lots of people will tell you what not to do. Don’t start with your character waking up, for instance. Agents and editors have seen this so many times, and apparently are intensely weary of it. Starting with back-story is out, starting with description is dulls-ville, starting with a prologue is usually a bad plan, dialogue can be tricky, for heaven’s sake don’t start with a dream…what’s left?
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