So ends a productive and relaxing-ish summer. (Yeah, I’m writing this in April, but I’m determined to make this true.) As I go back to work, I’ll leave everyone with some funnies to kick off the week. (All images found by Google Image Search.)
My son picked his Halloween costume for this year and it requires building. A lot of crafty building. This isn’t my area of expertise, but I’m doing my best. A few pieces I’m still figuring out or need to order parts for. Thankfully, the biggest headache was my mission for last week and I think it worked out. I’m going to regale you with progress pictures that I already posted on Instagram and Facebook. So, who did my son pick as his costume?
Soul King Brook from ‘One Piece’
He wanted the shark guitar too. Needless to say, I had to start now because these pieces will take time and creative thought. I need a cushion of time to allow for me fixing any mistakes. So, here we go!
The school year starts for me on Tuesday, which means I only have 3 days left without having to deal with an alarm. Though, I might use one on Monday and get moving around the time I would for work. That way, I’ll kind of be getting into the swing of things the day before. We’ll see if I still have the urge to do this when the time comes.
Not much to really report as far as this week goes. My son is with his mom, so I’ve had to entertain myself. Really, I’ve just been writing, crafting, and watching ‘The Sandman’ on Netflix, which I’ll talk about later. Darwin & the Avenging Elf is going to be 3/4 of the way done by the time I go back to work. That’s if I don’t get tripped up and come up short during these next 3 days. Either way, I’m looking at needing 4 more days to finish the book, so I should be done by the end of September. Not too bad, but I’m still a little bummed about missing my summer goal by 4 days. I know where those went too, which is why it stings a bit.
Overall, I’ve been having fun writing this book. It’s a challenge because I have two blunt characters trying to be sneaking and spy-like. They’re not mentally designed for this type of adventure, but it’s the only way for them to reach their goals. So far, they’ve been doing well by avoiding questions. One just chatters away and his mind wanders to the point where people walk away. The other reacts with short, brusque answers and intimidation, which works. I’m reaching the more action-heavy part where things start falling apart though, so the pair will get a chance to be more comfortable.
When I wasn’t writing or resting up, I was working on an art project. There will be a big post about it tomorrow, so I’m not going to explain much. My son picked a whopper of a Halloween costume, which you can’t buy in stores. Given his age and how holidays work with custody, this could be my last year to build a costume for him. So, I’m trying my best even though this isn’t my area of expertise. This week, I aimed to get the hardest part put together, which you’ll see tomorrow. Yes, I’m trying to tempt people to return here.
The other thing I did this week was watch ‘The Sandman’ on Netflix. I never read the comics even though I saw them all over the conventions I went to. So, I was aware of the characters. Now, I really want to read the books. The pacing was a little wonky at times, but I forgave that because I loved everything else. The characters were written and acted very well. The visuals were amazing, but it is Neil Gaiman after all. The overall story, while a little episodic for an 11 episode season, was engrossing. I really liked how life philosophies and purpose of dreams got brought up. The guy who played Dream/Morpheus/Sandman was great in his delivery and really looked the part, which has me hoping for a second season.
As I said, next week is going to be back to work. I’m not planning much, especially since my son starts school on Friday. It’ll be a week of getting back into the pre-summer schedule and feeling out the new schedules. Going to have to do some school supply shopping too. So, I don’t think I’m going to get much in the way of writing in. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a chapter section.
Something else I need to do is get stuff for my own lunch. Last year, I kept trying to make it through the school day without eating. That didn’t work out and I’d always have to start snacking. My new plan is to have a healthier lunch. Thinking of a container of veggies, another of fruit, and a protein bar to get me to the end. It’s tough because I don’t like raw veggies much, so it might just be radishes, green beans, and carrots. Fruit has an issue with keeping until I can eat it, but I think pears and berries should be okay. I’m assuming a lot of trial and error will ensue. At least I’m doing good with my homemade breakfast sandwiches.
So, what are the goals for the week?
Get as much of Darwin & the Avenging Elf done as possible.
Prepare for work.
Get my son ready for school when he gets back.
Block party tonight.
Try the new Baskin Robbins flavors before they’re gone.
As I said on Wednesday, there are two ways you can get underwater in fantasy. You can find a technological method or introduce a magical version. Both are viable with having been used in the genre before. There are two things to consider though:
Availability– If the technology or magic doesn’t exist to go underwater then you can’t use it. This is truer for tech than magic because you can have ancient relics found for the latter. Still, you can’t have a submarine appear in a story where it’s been Bronze Age tech the whole time. Even if this stuff does exist, your heroes need to have access in some fashion. They can’t just be given this stuff or abruptly have it for no reason other than to move the plot along.
Dependency– Are either of these choices dependent enough for the heroes to want to use them? For example, you’re shown a submarine and a water-breathing ring. The former is uncomfortable and has no defenses, which may turn adventurers towards the magical item. Yet, the ring has a tendency to lose its charge after two hours. You can’t depend on being near the surface when that time is up. Now, the submarine seems more sensible.
Probably more to think about, but they’re situational. Availability covers the big part as far as I’m concerned. So, what are the pros and cons of each category?
Magical Gear
Pros– These tend to be enchanted items, which means they’re small and don’t add to the discomfort of moving around. Magical gear requires less knowledge on the heroes parts because they’re put on and activated either immediately or by a word. Fewer working parts makes sense for adventurers who wouldn’t normally be experienced in using advanced machines. Less of a chance of breaking too since enchanted items are known to be difficult to damage.
Cons– Unlike technology, it can be fairly easy to lose a magical item. Rings can slip off fingers or the hand be bitten off by a shark. This is why clothes tend to be safer, but even those can be at risk. I know I said there’s less of a chance of breaking, but it’s possible and adventurers have less of a chance of fixing magical gear than technology. There’s the threat of the magic being nullified as well. This can be done by an enemy, a startled creature, or just passing through a non-magic zone. One could say that the higher risk of something going wrong comes with the easier use.
Technology
Pros– This category is typically a type of submarine or a scuba suit. It’s usually the former, which means the heroes are kept together. We’ll keep talking about submarines because they have the greatest amount of pros. They’re armored, which protects from the elements and aggressive animals. It allows for communication instead of signing and hoping it isn’t too dark for allies to see. Weapons can be placed on these devices, which helps preserve the adventurers’ supplies. Maps can be stored and checked without having to worry about water damaging the paper. Finally, a basic submarine can make a faster escape than a person who is swimming.
Cons– The downside here is entirely due to the complication of the tech. Your average adventurer won’t know how to steer, read the gauges, or do real repairs. They may learn basics quickly, but a major emergency means they’re in trouble. You can say this is remedied by them hiring a captain with experience, but that’s a non-combatant that has to be protected. That person dies and it could be all over. Submarines and scuba gear are also bulky, so they can’t get into areas that a person using a ring of water breathing can get into. Finally, a submarine can be broken so badly that it will sink along with everyone inside. If it’s already deep then there’s no way to get out and swim to the surface before you drown.
What to do?
That’s really up to you. An author decides on how effective these things are going to be since they’re telling the story. If you don’t want the magical gear to be negated then don’t do it. If the submarine doesn’t break then that’s your choice. Consider that the pros and cons would be thought of by the people in the fantasy world too. They may very well work towards countering those issues. So, think about how far along the magic or tech would be in general. I would assume a few early accidents would get some of the major bugs out of the advancements.
Also, you can always combine them. Adventurers can take a submarine, but have magical gear for when they have to leave for investigating. There’s no rule that says it really has to be one or the other. Kind of makes this ‘versus’ post rather silly now that I think about it for a second. Oops.
I haven’t written in a while, mostly due to the surprisingly (for August) high demands of my copywriting job. I’m now back with some thoughts on research. Whether for copywriting or novel writing, research is a big part of our work. And while writers today have more methods of research available than ever before, researching effectively for any novel is still not easy. A lot of times, authors new or experienced don’t even know where to start with research, and you may find yourself repeatedly typing “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” like Jack Torrence, in “The Shining” (watch on DIRECTV STREAM).
However, by doing some simple tasks, you can avoid the headache that comes with mapping out the research for your next great novel.
How Is Good Research Helpful?
While it often seems obvious that non-fiction writers must execute some form of research before…
Ciao, SEers. Today is part ten of the series, and we’re getting into self-editing. The first step in the revision process is to work on the macro-level, or on the biggest issues. Joan introduced us to the basics in self-editing in this post. I’m going to dig a little deeper. I suggest two read-throughs in this section. The first just to get a feel for the story. The second is when you start to make notes on issues. Here are the things to look for.
First, hooks. We’ve already talked about this. The beginning of your novel needs a great hook, but to a slightly lesser extent, all your scenes do. Do you have great hooks? Did you start with a compelling first sentence, then grab the reader with a fascinating concept? Do they come early in each scene? Do they inform and be informed by character, conflict…
There’s a lot to consider when writing an underwater adventure. It gets even more difficult if you’re writing in a fantasy world. That or it’s easier depending on how much you want to mess with the laws of nature. We’ll try to be more general here. I’m also going to say that there is probably a lot more than 7 tips for this undertaking. Let’s try to cover as much grou . . . water as we can.
RESEARCH! Just read up on what it’s like to be underwater. We always remember that one can’t breathe, but many forget other factors. If the water is murky or the heroes are going deep then visibility is an issue. Past a certain point, the water pressure would crush an unprotected body. Temperatures can be freezing or even boiling if there are volcanic vents. The effects on the body should be researched as well to get an idea on if the heroes can function down there or if they will be weakened upon their return.
Preparation is key for the heroes. This is more complicated than most other terrains because of all of the challenges. There should be a build up to the adventure where the heroes are making plans and getting supplies. Even if the author is a pantser, the characters shouldn’t be diving into the depths without a plan. For one thing, they need to have a way to breathe and readers might not be willing to believe that they just happen to have the gear for doing so on-hand. So, take even part of a chapter for the heroes to discuss the challenges.
Unless a hero is diving into the shallows, they aren’t going to run into any buildings within minutes. Shipwrecks and sunken structures don’t normally hover in the water or stay near the surface. If they did then more people would visit and they wouldn’t be mysterious. An adventure that requires going underwater typically means searching a rarely, or never, visited area. So, there needs to be time given towards the journey down, which helps with tension as well.
I mentioned that there’s going to be a visibility problem in murky or deep bodies of water. Every location doesn’t have crystal clear water and even that has a depth limit before light can’t go any further. This means that you need to consider darkness when designing the setting. You can go for full darkness until a lit place is reached or having there be some light source. Bioluminescence . . . How did I write that correctly on the first try . . . Anyway, this is when a living creature gives off light. Many authors use this to create a brighter scene and explain how the characters with no natural ability to see underwater can notice things. There may still be shadows and patches of darkness that creatures can emerge from, but this helps create a more mystical and alien scene instead of going for the tension of isolation.
Think about the creatures you want the heroes to encounter if they’re going to run into anything at all. Will they be friendly or aggressive? The reason for this is because these animals will always have the advantage. They are naturally designed to function underwater, which includes quick and precise movements. Adventurers are visiting and will either be in a machine or using magic to survive. This does not mean they will be able to fight and move with the same level of skill as they would on land. Aside from moving against the water, they have to change their perspective to a 360 view. These animals can attack from any side, but also from above, below, and at other angles that are impossible on land. So, think about your creatures because this will give you an idea as to how your heroes need to move.
Something we haven’t brought up yet deals more with the ocean than more contained bodies of water like lakes. Though, rivers can have this issue as well even they don’t have the depth. I’m talking about CURRENTS! Water typically isn’t standing still, so whatever is inside will be pushed along. The only way to not get dragged away is to have the strength to fight against the currents. This can be tiring for anyone who is too weak or just strong enough to fight. Another method is to ride the currents and move along them, which takes knowledge that average adventurers wouldn’t have. Also, this means they might not come up at the same location that they went down. Same goes for whatever they are searching for since an object might not fall straight to the bottom and sink more at an angle.
As we’ll get into on Friday, you need to figure out how the characters will get underwater and stay there. Anyone can swim down a bit and come back up for air, but these are adventures where the heroes need to stay down there. So, are you going for a magical, technological, or combo solution? Each one has benefits and weaknesses, so you need to think about where you want to go. Also, the heroes need access to these options. For example, if they can’t get a submarine then they have to take the magic route. Doing otherwise would twist reality a bit too much for the reader.
