Karen GoatKeeper's Blog, page 22
October 18, 2017
Designing Space Ships
Any tale involving space travel needs a space ship. These can be simple affairs like those in Buck Rogers. They can be big, elaborate affairs since space has no atmosphere to create friction.
My tale isn't set in space, but my aliens arrive in a space ship. I get to design a space ship! There are considerations.
First, the ship must fit in the Ozark ravine.
Second, the ship must accommodate the crew of three plus six passengers plus supplies plus necessary ship details like engines.
Third, it must be fairly simple as I don't want to spend lots of time on designing some elaborate affair that would detract from the story line I am planning on. (Yes, I do have some plot ideas.)
Considering the occupants are up to four inches tall, a foot high ship should be sufficient. That gives me a height.
A width of eight inches should work for seating and cockpit controls. If I make it a foot wide, that gives room for hardware.
How long? How much cargo space does it need? How much engine space does it need?
Much of the ship's engines and control hardware can be under the floor of the main cabin. After all, the occupants don't need the entire height.
The ship is a general transport, the last of a convoy ferrying children to a new space colony, followed by supply ships. So, it doesn't need to have lots of supply room. Indeed, part of the cargo area has been adapted to carry passengers.
The length will be 24 or 30 inches.
Maximum space will be available if the shape is elliptical.
Will this design work? It will fit in the ravine. It will hold the occupants and supplies. It is simple. Those were my criteria.
That leaves one last hurdle: Am I happy with this design?
I'll think about it.
My tale isn't set in space, but my aliens arrive in a space ship. I get to design a space ship! There are considerations.
First, the ship must fit in the Ozark ravine.
Second, the ship must accommodate the crew of three plus six passengers plus supplies plus necessary ship details like engines.
Third, it must be fairly simple as I don't want to spend lots of time on designing some elaborate affair that would detract from the story line I am planning on. (Yes, I do have some plot ideas.)
Considering the occupants are up to four inches tall, a foot high ship should be sufficient. That gives me a height.
A width of eight inches should work for seating and cockpit controls. If I make it a foot wide, that gives room for hardware.
How long? How much cargo space does it need? How much engine space does it need?
Much of the ship's engines and control hardware can be under the floor of the main cabin. After all, the occupants don't need the entire height.
The ship is a general transport, the last of a convoy ferrying children to a new space colony, followed by supply ships. So, it doesn't need to have lots of supply room. Indeed, part of the cargo area has been adapted to carry passengers.
The length will be 24 or 30 inches.
Maximum space will be available if the shape is elliptical.
Will this design work? It will fit in the ravine. It will hold the occupants and supplies. It is simple. Those were my criteria.
That leaves one last hurdle: Am I happy with this design?
I'll think about it.
October 11, 2017
Understanding SciFi Characters
It isn't that I don't know anything about science fiction writing. It's that so much of it now is more fantasy than science. I grew up reading Asimov, Bradberry and Blish. And I like science.
The Martian is a newer book along those old lines. It is an excellent book.
Now I am contemplating writing some science fiction of my own. Where to start?
Well, I know it will be set in an Ozark ravine starting in February.
Now I need some interesting aliens. There are some criteria they must meet.
One: small enough to operate in this ravine
Two: intellegent
Three: similar but not the same as people
Where would they come from?
Thinking up a planet name is much more challenging than I had expected. So many people use odd sounding names for their own writing or their companies or their products.
My botany project came to my rescue. I'm mining the Latin names. The planet will be Cardua making the aliens Carduans.
But, what about Cardua? How is it different from Earth?
The aliens will need to produce power or energy. Solar type panels would work. What if they are geared for UV light? What if Cardua's sun emits more UV light than our sun?
This opens up some possibilities. UV light causes genetic mutations so the Carduans must be physically able to withstand this effect. Plants counter this with colored pigments. What about thick skin in some shade of this color? Cue nine-banded armadillos.
Then there is vision. We see a spectrum from red to blue. But many insects including honeybees see UV colors and not red. My Carduans would see in the honeybee spectrum.
What about the energy production? Since the sun puts off less UV light than the Carduan sun, their panels would be less effective. Could this be a problem?
Say, this is getting to be fun. I have another three weeks to work this out before NaNo begins.
The Martian is a newer book along those old lines. It is an excellent book.
Now I am contemplating writing some science fiction of my own. Where to start?
Well, I know it will be set in an Ozark ravine starting in February.
Now I need some interesting aliens. There are some criteria they must meet.
One: small enough to operate in this ravine
Two: intellegent
Three: similar but not the same as people
Where would they come from?
Thinking up a planet name is much more challenging than I had expected. So many people use odd sounding names for their own writing or their companies or their products.
My botany project came to my rescue. I'm mining the Latin names. The planet will be Cardua making the aliens Carduans.
But, what about Cardua? How is it different from Earth?
The aliens will need to produce power or energy. Solar type panels would work. What if they are geared for UV light? What if Cardua's sun emits more UV light than our sun?
This opens up some possibilities. UV light causes genetic mutations so the Carduans must be physically able to withstand this effect. Plants counter this with colored pigments. What about thick skin in some shade of this color? Cue nine-banded armadillos.
Then there is vision. We see a spectrum from red to blue. But many insects including honeybees see UV colors and not red. My Carduans would see in the honeybee spectrum.
What about the energy production? Since the sun puts off less UV light than the Carduan sun, their panels would be less effective. Could this be a problem?
Say, this is getting to be fun. I have another three weeks to work this out before NaNo begins.
October 4, 2017
Time Slips Away
Three hours is so little time. That is the new limit at my library. I will try to get back to writing here weekly. I will have to write faster is all.
Already October is here. Less than a month remains before NaNo begins.
Book marketing is an important topic for me lately. My website has been seeing many changes along with the addition of two anthologies from my writers group.
This year NaNo will meld these two. How? They are so different!
I will create an open ended science fiction serial with every chapter ending with a cliff hanger.
First I need a setting. Since time is of the essence, it needs to be a familiar one. An Ozarks ravine in February should work.
How do I put a science fiction story in an Ozarks ravine? It wasn't that difficult.
Out of time so you will have to drop by again next week.
Serials can be fun.
Already October is here. Less than a month remains before NaNo begins.
Book marketing is an important topic for me lately. My website has been seeing many changes along with the addition of two anthologies from my writers group.
This year NaNo will meld these two. How? They are so different!
I will create an open ended science fiction serial with every chapter ending with a cliff hanger.
First I need a setting. Since time is of the essence, it needs to be a familiar one. An Ozarks ravine in February should work.
How do I put a science fiction story in an Ozarks ravine? It wasn't that difficult.
Out of time so you will have to drop by again next week.
Serials can be fun.
July 26, 2017
Developing My Melodrama Plot
How do my characters relate?
Andromeda works for Franz as his receptionist. Andromeda is Margaret's daughter. This makes Andromeda the link between my three main characters.
What are my characters' aspirations?
Andromeda may be working as a receptionist but she wants to work outside, preferably in a state or national park as a ranger.
Franz is a financial consultant with an established clientele. Since the death of his wife, he has buried himself in his office.
Margaret is getting older and afraid of being left alone. Her husband found a new love and left her. One by one two of her children have left home. Only Andromeda is left.
The trite plot would be for Margaret to use guilt as a weapon to keep Andromeda from becoming a person in her own right, trapping her into taking care of Margaret as she grows older. Franz comes in as a mentor encouraging Andromeda to pursue her dreams.
This would work. Yet it leaves the characters little more than stereotypes and the plot stale.
How can this plot be changed to make it more interesting? The key must be buried somewhere in my character sketches. I must go looking.
Andromeda works for Franz as his receptionist. Andromeda is Margaret's daughter. This makes Andromeda the link between my three main characters.
What are my characters' aspirations?
Andromeda may be working as a receptionist but she wants to work outside, preferably in a state or national park as a ranger.
Franz is a financial consultant with an established clientele. Since the death of his wife, he has buried himself in his office.
Margaret is getting older and afraid of being left alone. Her husband found a new love and left her. One by one two of her children have left home. Only Andromeda is left.
The trite plot would be for Margaret to use guilt as a weapon to keep Andromeda from becoming a person in her own right, trapping her into taking care of Margaret as she grows older. Franz comes in as a mentor encouraging Andromeda to pursue her dreams.
This would work. Yet it leaves the characters little more than stereotypes and the plot stale.
How can this plot be changed to make it more interesting? The key must be buried somewhere in my character sketches. I must go looking.
July 12, 2017
Where Is the Plot?
So far we have the hero, heroine and villain for our melodramas. Now we need a plot.
Where do we find a plot?
Old melodramas have the villain trying to trap the heroine into marriage. The hero and heroine are in love so the hero thwarts the villain to win the girl. So simple. So trite. So stereotyped.
Where do we find a better plot?
A plot revolves around things the characters want and what they are willing to do to attain these wants. Let's revisit our characters.
We have profiles of these characters individually. How do they connect with each other? How do these connections affect their hopes, dreams and desires?
What obstacles stand in the way of the characters attaining their hopes, dreams and desires? Can you think of more obstacles? Even obstacles that seem far-fetched should make the list.
Which of the main characters will take center stage in your melodrama? Your character sketch is who this character is at the beginning of your melodrama.
Which hope, dream or desire will this character attain in your melodrama? This is where your character is going.
Now, fill in the space between these two with the obstacles. You won't use all of them. You may even come up with new ones. These will pull in your other main characters.
Now you have the beginnings of a plot.
Where do we find a plot?
Old melodramas have the villain trying to trap the heroine into marriage. The hero and heroine are in love so the hero thwarts the villain to win the girl. So simple. So trite. So stereotyped.
Where do we find a better plot?
A plot revolves around things the characters want and what they are willing to do to attain these wants. Let's revisit our characters.
We have profiles of these characters individually. How do they connect with each other? How do these connections affect their hopes, dreams and desires?
What obstacles stand in the way of the characters attaining their hopes, dreams and desires? Can you think of more obstacles? Even obstacles that seem far-fetched should make the list.
Which of the main characters will take center stage in your melodrama? Your character sketch is who this character is at the beginning of your melodrama.
Which hope, dream or desire will this character attain in your melodrama? This is where your character is going.
Now, fill in the space between these two with the obstacles. You won't use all of them. You may even come up with new ones. These will pull in your other main characters.
Now you have the beginnings of a plot.
July 4, 2017
Let's Boo and Hiss
Ah, the dastardly villain with his black hat, thin handlebar mustache, perpetual sneer and evil plants for the heroine! Boos and hisses were his applause.
Such stereotype villains still show up, so evil and cruel they seem to have no redeeming features at all. Darth Vader in the first Star Wars was such a villain.
The villain can be much more real. Perhaps the villain isn't really evil, but mired in a mistaken belief. Perhaps the villain is acting to protect someone or something he loves. Perhaps the villain is trapped into being evil, but wants and seeks redemption as Alan Ladd's hitman in This Gun for Hire. Such a villain or antagonist can add depth and complexity to a novel.
Which type of villain do you prefer? Will your villain be a man or a woman? This will be the villain you create.
A villain must have a reason, something he wants. There are some who go around being evil just to be evil which is a motive in itself. More usually the motive is money, power, fear of exposure, retribution, even tradition or a job. There may be more than one motive, but this is a simple melodrama. Try to find only one motive.
Think hard about this motive. Your plot will revolve around it. The villain and his motive set the story in motion. The hero and heroine react to the villain's actions.
Now, give your villain a name.
Describe your villain. You will need the physical appearance and the mental aspects.
How old is your villain? This will change how the villain views his actions. Many of the words and actions now considered sexual harassment were the way things were 60 years ago.
Observe your villain interacting with other people. How does he speak? Will he charm all around him?
Is your villain an introvert or extrovert? Does he threaten others physically or prefer weapons (Which ones?) or psychological ideas?
Delve into his motive. What created it? What drives it? What is his ultimate purpose?
My villain is Andromeda's mother. She doesn't mean to be a villain. She is afraid of being left all alone.
Such stereotype villains still show up, so evil and cruel they seem to have no redeeming features at all. Darth Vader in the first Star Wars was such a villain.
The villain can be much more real. Perhaps the villain isn't really evil, but mired in a mistaken belief. Perhaps the villain is acting to protect someone or something he loves. Perhaps the villain is trapped into being evil, but wants and seeks redemption as Alan Ladd's hitman in This Gun for Hire. Such a villain or antagonist can add depth and complexity to a novel.
Which type of villain do you prefer? Will your villain be a man or a woman? This will be the villain you create.
A villain must have a reason, something he wants. There are some who go around being evil just to be evil which is a motive in itself. More usually the motive is money, power, fear of exposure, retribution, even tradition or a job. There may be more than one motive, but this is a simple melodrama. Try to find only one motive.
Think hard about this motive. Your plot will revolve around it. The villain and his motive set the story in motion. The hero and heroine react to the villain's actions.
Now, give your villain a name.
Describe your villain. You will need the physical appearance and the mental aspects.
How old is your villain? This will change how the villain views his actions. Many of the words and actions now considered sexual harassment were the way things were 60 years ago.
Observe your villain interacting with other people. How does he speak? Will he charm all around him?
Is your villain an introvert or extrovert? Does he threaten others physically or prefer weapons (Which ones?) or psychological ideas?
Delve into his motive. What created it? What drives it? What is his ultimate purpose?
My villain is Andromeda's mother. She doesn't mean to be a villain. She is afraid of being left all alone.
June 28, 2017
Creating the Heroine
How times have changed. In an old time melodrama, the hero rescues the heroine. The heroine was a damsel in distress and did little other than act afraid, admire and encourage the hero. They aren't that way anymore.
Heroines are no longer passive nonentities. They are people too. Sometimes the heroine rescues the hero.
Before creating your heroine, you need to make a few decisions about your melodrama as this will affect the heroine you create. If your melodrama will be romantic, the heroine must be someone the hero will fall in love with. Will your hero rescue her? Will she rescue him? Will they work as a team?
Take a moment to close your eyes and see your heroine. Then write it down.
Give your heroine a name.
Describe her physical appearance. How old is she?
Follow her around and see how she acts around other people. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Is she good at small talk? What is her voice like? Alto or soprano? Does she have an accent? What kind of vocabulary does she use? Is she a flirt?
How does she see herself? Is she confident? Is she shy? What is her job? Her hobbies? Her interests? Her aspirations? What kind of vehicle does she drive?
If you were her platonic friend in real life, where would you go? What would you do? If you met at a restaurant, what would she order? How would she treat the waitress? What kind of tip would she leave?
I think I will call my heroine Andromeda with the nickname Andie. She will wear her hair in a short bob. It's reddish blond, fine hair that puffs up with static.
Andie is 5'8" tall and works out. She loves to run three miles a day early in the morning listening to the birds wake up and watch the sky light up with the dawn.
During the day Andie sits at a receptionist's desk, hating every minute of it, wishing she could find a job at a State or National Park. She has a degree in biology, but only a bachelor's and the jobs go to those with a Master's or higher, something she can't afford to get.
Who is your heroine?
Heroines are no longer passive nonentities. They are people too. Sometimes the heroine rescues the hero.
Before creating your heroine, you need to make a few decisions about your melodrama as this will affect the heroine you create. If your melodrama will be romantic, the heroine must be someone the hero will fall in love with. Will your hero rescue her? Will she rescue him? Will they work as a team?
Take a moment to close your eyes and see your heroine. Then write it down.
Give your heroine a name.
Describe her physical appearance. How old is she?
Follow her around and see how she acts around other people. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Is she good at small talk? What is her voice like? Alto or soprano? Does she have an accent? What kind of vocabulary does she use? Is she a flirt?
How does she see herself? Is she confident? Is she shy? What is her job? Her hobbies? Her interests? Her aspirations? What kind of vehicle does she drive?
If you were her platonic friend in real life, where would you go? What would you do? If you met at a restaurant, what would she order? How would she treat the waitress? What kind of tip would she leave?
I think I will call my heroine Andromeda with the nickname Andie. She will wear her hair in a short bob. It's reddish blond, fine hair that puffs up with static.
Andie is 5'8" tall and works out. She loves to run three miles a day early in the morning listening to the birds wake up and watch the sky light up with the dawn.
During the day Andie sits at a receptionist's desk, hating every minute of it, wishing she could find a job at a State or National Park. She has a degree in biology, but only a bachelor's and the jobs go to those with a Master's or higher, something she can't afford to get.
Who is your heroine?
June 21, 2017
Create Characters
A novel needs characters, plot and setting. They must compliment each other, so creating any one without the others may mean making adjustments later. Knowing the characters will be part of a melodrama will help. A melodrama has three main characters: a hero, a heroine and a villain.
An old time hero was a superman. He was brave, handsome and invincible. He was often laconic and rode away into the sunset at the end. Remember the Lone Ranger?
People, real people, may fantasize about being this way, but know they are not. They have flaws. In tragedies, the flaw may destroy the hero. In melodramas, the flaw makes the hero more real. Check out the Gary Cooper version of High Noon.
My writers' group is creating this melodrama as writing practice. What kind of hero will they create? What kind would I create?
Let's think. First, a name, I will start with a name. Franz.
This name has connotations for me of a man dark, lean, a bit foreign, a gentleman, well-mannered, quiet, maybe a bit introverted, reserved. As an introvert, he will bury rather than expose his thoughts and feelings which can create difficulties in the story.
As Franz will be my hero, he will be thoughtful, intelligent and persistent. However, his reserve may make him slow to take action, make him feel guilty when bad things happen that he might have prevented, if he had acted sooner. He may overthink a situation, trying to see all the possibilities. His persistence may be stubbornness delaying his changing tactics when the chosen one doesn't work.
I have my hero. What would your hero be like?
Next I will tackle a heroine and a villain.
An old time hero was a superman. He was brave, handsome and invincible. He was often laconic and rode away into the sunset at the end. Remember the Lone Ranger?
People, real people, may fantasize about being this way, but know they are not. They have flaws. In tragedies, the flaw may destroy the hero. In melodramas, the flaw makes the hero more real. Check out the Gary Cooper version of High Noon.
My writers' group is creating this melodrama as writing practice. What kind of hero will they create? What kind would I create?
Let's think. First, a name, I will start with a name. Franz.
This name has connotations for me of a man dark, lean, a bit foreign, a gentleman, well-mannered, quiet, maybe a bit introverted, reserved. As an introvert, he will bury rather than expose his thoughts and feelings which can create difficulties in the story.
As Franz will be my hero, he will be thoughtful, intelligent and persistent. However, his reserve may make him slow to take action, make him feel guilty when bad things happen that he might have prevented, if he had acted sooner. He may overthink a situation, trying to see all the possibilities. His persistence may be stubbornness delaying his changing tactics when the chosen one doesn't work.
I have my hero. What would your hero be like?
Next I will tackle a heroine and a villain.
June 14, 2017
Which Comes First?
A good novel has so many parts contributing to the whole that singling any one out is ludicrous. The rough draft of a hopefully good novel is not so difficult. Any novel begins with characters, a plot and a setting. If these are not appealing to a potential writer or reader, the novel will not be.
Which comes first? So many wannabe writers ask that question. How would I answer it?
Put on the thinking cap. Dredge through the memory. Hmm....
Well, for Dora's Story, the goat came first. Then I listed all these possible places for Dora to live and types of owners to have.
For Broken Promises an idea came first. I picked the trite one of a city girl moving to the country. Then came a plot starting point. For Broken Promises it was the death of her father in Iraq triggered by the death of my nephew there. Hazel became a real character as I wrote about her dealing with this loss.
In Old Promises Hazel is in the country. This time it was the memory of a tragic Christmas when a man killed his wife, children, grandchildren and a couple of friends. Why? His wife was going to leave him. The family feud, antagonism to Hazel and final incident grew out of re-imagining this incident.
Capri Capers was just for fun to write a 1930's movie serial/melodrama with a goat as a character. It began as a list of possible cliff hangers to end the chapters and the melodrama characters grew from this.
The final answer to which comes first: character, plot or setting is clear. Any one can come first. Any one can be the trigger setting off scene ideas and story lines racing through the mind ending in a novel.
The problem with that answer for a wannabe writer is the lack of concreteness. There is no tried and true way to write a novel except to read books and magazines, listen to the news and friends, open your eyes and see what is happening around you for that nubbin of a character, a plot or a setting around which an idea for a novel will coalesce.
Which comes first? So many wannabe writers ask that question. How would I answer it?
Put on the thinking cap. Dredge through the memory. Hmm....
Well, for Dora's Story, the goat came first. Then I listed all these possible places for Dora to live and types of owners to have.
For Broken Promises an idea came first. I picked the trite one of a city girl moving to the country. Then came a plot starting point. For Broken Promises it was the death of her father in Iraq triggered by the death of my nephew there. Hazel became a real character as I wrote about her dealing with this loss.
In Old Promises Hazel is in the country. This time it was the memory of a tragic Christmas when a man killed his wife, children, grandchildren and a couple of friends. Why? His wife was going to leave him. The family feud, antagonism to Hazel and final incident grew out of re-imagining this incident.
Capri Capers was just for fun to write a 1930's movie serial/melodrama with a goat as a character. It began as a list of possible cliff hangers to end the chapters and the melodrama characters grew from this.
The final answer to which comes first: character, plot or setting is clear. Any one can come first. Any one can be the trigger setting off scene ideas and story lines racing through the mind ending in a novel.
The problem with that answer for a wannabe writer is the lack of concreteness. There is no tried and true way to write a novel except to read books and magazines, listen to the news and friends, open your eyes and see what is happening around you for that nubbin of a character, a plot or a setting around which an idea for a novel will coalesce.
May 30, 2017
Electricity Addiction
When we live in the Michigan Upper Peninsula, we had no electricity and didn't really miss it. In Missouri we were right on the electric line and adjusted to the joys of electricity quickly.
Take a moment to consider all the ways you depend on electricity.
We have a well pump. There are the refrigerators, the TV, the radio, the computers, the lights and the list can go on.
A rain storm came through. It didn't drop much water. That didn't matter as everything is still wet from the 12 inches we got a couple of weeks ago.
Then came the wind. It roared over the hill dropping and snapping trees. It raced across the creek bed snapping and dropping trees. One of these slammed into an electric pole snapping it at the base and breaking the tops of two more poles further down the line. The wind continued over the next hill dropping and snapping more trees on the way.
We are left with a huge supply of firewood.
The electric company is left with over 200 feet of lines and three poles under a tangle of trees.
Maybe next week we will get our electricity back on. In the meantime, I do miss my computer. What I miss the most is turning on the water faucet in the kitchen for cooking and washing dishes. The goats miss the lights during evening milking. Candles are just not the same.
Take a moment to consider all the ways you depend on electricity.
We have a well pump. There are the refrigerators, the TV, the radio, the computers, the lights and the list can go on.
A rain storm came through. It didn't drop much water. That didn't matter as everything is still wet from the 12 inches we got a couple of weeks ago.
Then came the wind. It roared over the hill dropping and snapping trees. It raced across the creek bed snapping and dropping trees. One of these slammed into an electric pole snapping it at the base and breaking the tops of two more poles further down the line. The wind continued over the next hill dropping and snapping more trees on the way.
We are left with a huge supply of firewood.
The electric company is left with over 200 feet of lines and three poles under a tangle of trees.
Maybe next week we will get our electricity back on. In the meantime, I do miss my computer. What I miss the most is turning on the water faucet in the kitchen for cooking and washing dishes. The goats miss the lights during evening milking. Candles are just not the same.
