Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 150
June 4, 2014
#IWSG–How Stupid am I When My Body Gives in to Pain?
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out like Kate and Rebecca who inspired me to begin). The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
This month’s insecurity: How stupid am I when my body gives in to pain?
I really worry about that. I get daily headaches, RA and AS (types of degenerative arthritis) chronic pain. Because these are daily, I can’t stop to let the pain work its way through my body. Most of the meds have little effect and I’ve gone through dozens. Some days are better or worse than others, but they’re all the same to me, just different degrees of discomfort.
I’ve had these problems over thirty years, so they are by now part of me and my part in the circle of life. Most people I know struggle with some sort of pain, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or another. When I have a pain-free day, I feel like the heavens opened and God hugged me.
Mostly, He knows I can handle it.
Here’s what bothers me more than the pain: Because I can’t stop or slow down for something that occurs daily, there are times it causes me to do stupid things. Say something dumb, react the wrong way, do something I wouldn’t if I were rational–because I’m subconsciously reacting to the pain. I stay away from people (without being obvious) more than I used to to mitigate problems, but sometimes a commitment and a headache collide. I had a day like that last week and it still bothers me.
Most of you I’ll never meet so I feel safe confiding in you. I don’t feel sorry for myself at all. Just need a little support now and then. Thanks.
More IWSG articles:
Am I good enough? Does it matter?–#IWSG
Fear of Saying Dumb Things Scares Me to Death
#IWSG–The World is Changing–Can I keep up
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: writing Tagged: insecure writers group, iwsg, opinion, writers
June 2, 2014
6 Tips for Western Fiction Writers
If you love books by Louis L’Amour, A.B. Guthrie (The Big Sky and The Way West) or Elmore Leonard (3:10 to Yuma), you may be a western fiction writer. In a nutshell, Western fiction deals with life and times of the American Wild West, mostly mid- to late- 1800′s. It used to be wildly popular, but is now less so, though those who follow it are eager for new, authentic publications.
If you are interested in testing out this genre, join Western Writers of America--the pre-eminant online organization for Western writers–and read these tips on thriving in that writing style:
based in the American Old West with the attitudes, changes, manners, and lawlessness of that era
as with historic fiction, be very sure of your facts. This includes clothing, language, structures, events, and more. Here’s a list of resources to get those details right.
it’s OK to have stereotypical characters–the gunslinger, the saloon girls, the steel-eyed sheriff. In fact, readers want them, but add your own twist to make them unique
whoever your hero, s/he must have a noble goal. As in thrillers, readers like a gutsy stand against all odds for a worthy reason.
the hero must have a problem. Not someone else’s problem–his, that he alone can solve
tell a captivating story. An analysis of emotions and motivations doesn’t interest readers as much in this genre as some of the others, though a compelling plot might make that work
Anyone write this style? I’d love to hear your feedback.
More Genre tips:
8 Tips for Historic Fiction Writers
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: Genre tips Tagged: western
May 30, 2014
Horse Soldiers: American Ingenuity Outsmarts the Enemy Again
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistanby Doug Stanton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an amazing untold story of the American Special Forces in Afghanistan following 9/11. They were welcomed as liberators. People lined the streets thanking this small band of Americans for freeing them from Taliban rule.
How’d they do it? Riding horses shoulder-to-shoulder with the indigenous Northern Alliance soldiers, using Civil War strategies for mounted attacks. They worked with the embedded Afghani soldiers. They considered their wisdom and experience. They fought with them in the mountains, on the trails, all the while taking great care to avoid civilian casualties and follow the cultural norms of their fellow Afghan fighters. As a result, they won their hearts and souls and gave them their country back.
As one of the two prominent warlords said, “I asked for a few Americans. They brought with them the courage of a whole army.”
This is a blueprint for modern warfare.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews, I love the USA
May 28, 2014
8 Tips for Creative Nonfiction Writers
‘Creative non-fiction’ is defined by Lee Gutkind–founder of Creative Non-fiction Magazine–as “true stories well told.”
The words “creative” and “nonfiction” describe the form. The word “creative” refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.
To write creative nonfiction, you take the facts and tell them accurately, but add ‘educated guesses’ and logical extrapolation as to what the dialogue would have been (who really was there when Washington crossed the Delaware), setting (if you’re writing about a man lost in the Alaskan wilderness, that area arguably has not evolved since your character survived there), drama of the situation (those details are lost to history, but can be guessed at as long as they’re based on fact). Think of Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire. Killer Angels--both classified as fiction, but you feel like you learned a lot about history from them. I have no doubt both authors worked tirelessly to make the history accurate as they fictionalized the characters, setting, and story arc details.
I doubt either book would have sold as many copies if they had been released as ‘creative nonfiction’ rather than ‘historic fiction’. I’m guessing, based on the fact that there are few best sellers in the creative nonfiction genre.
Read these snippets from reviews on Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Lincoln, a historic recounting of the death of one of America’s greatest presidents:
Killing Lincoln is a must read historical thriller
[Killing Lincoln] is nonfiction, albeit told in white-knuckled, John Grisham-like style
This genre teaches history with a spoonful of sugar.
Does this approach sound familiar? Have you checked your child’s classroom lately? The curriculum may sound similar to what you learned, but the delivery is more and more often done via carefully-selected games that teach the topic. It’s called the ‘gamification of education’ and is intended to keep students in school, graduate a greater percentage, and enable them to remember what they’ve learned long enough to use it in college and career. Studies prove students pay more attention, work harder, and retain material better via games than the traditional ‘sage on the stage’ approach.
Here’s my challenge: I’m writing a series based on man’s evolution over the past 2 million years. I want to share the uniquely human characteristics–problem solving, visualizing, decorating our bodies, belief in a higher being–allowed us to survive a world that was stacked against us. Obviously, there are no records to draw on other than paleo topics related to climate, geology, anthropology. This means much of what I posit is an extrapolation of fact. Let me ask you: Does that make my saga ‘creative nonfiction’ or ‘historic fiction’?
Before you decide, check out these tips for those who write in this genre:
include accurate and well-researched information
hold the interest of the reader
potentially blur the realms of fact and fiction in a pleasing, literary style (while remaining grounded in fact)
writers attempt to observe, record, and thus shape a moment(s) from real life. Writers thus extract meaning through factual details—they combine the fact of detail with the literary extrapolation necessary in rendering meaning from an observed scene.
dwell on sensory details and “show show show
the union of storytelling and journalism
Includes personal essay, memoir, literary journalism, academic/cultural criticism, narrative history, feature articles, documentary drama
tends to be more informal and personal than other types of nonfiction writing
Poynter says creative non-fiction relies on:
Documents (public and private records)
Tools of literary realism: Scene-by-scene construction; Dialogue: Point of View; Status details (Wolfe)
Description (Sense of place, character, time)
Reflection
Narrative frames (Chronology; parallel narrative; In media res)
Segmentation
Extra-literary design
The “line between fact and fiction” and John Hersey’s “Legend on the License” — None Of This Is Made Up
Now that you’ve seen these tips, is my story historic fiction or creative nonfiction?
More Genre tips:
8 Tips for Historic Fiction Writers
14 Tips for Young Adult Writers
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: Genre tips, research, writing Tagged: creative nonfiction
May 26, 2014
Happy Memorial Day
I’m out back, by the grilling, turning hamburgers, corn, and whatever else can be grilled. Can you smell it? Yum!
I’m taking the day to honor our soldiers. Without their sacrifice, where would we be?
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: I love the USA, politics, writers tips Tagged: American soldier, memorial day, toby keith
May 23, 2014
Book Review: American Sniper
American Sniper
by Chris Kyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have a couple of reviews about SEALs–Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor and Mark Owens’ No Easy Day (well, I have a longer list in my review of No Easy Day). They give flavor to what life is like SEAL‘s your job title. In Chris Kyle’s book, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in American History (William Morrow 2012), I’ll tell you in this amazing man’s words what life, war, patriotism, loving America and your family and your buddies not necessarily in that order–means to the man who became a legend.
And entered everyone’s prayers when he was killed in an accidental shooting after he retired to his wife and two children and the America he loved.
Here are my favorite quotes from his book:
…there are a lot of people who deserve credit, and if I don’t write the story, they may be overlooked. I don’t like the idea of that at all.
I’m a SEAL down to my soul
…2009, I was lucky enough to be positioned directly in the action.
Great. You do it again. And again. You do it so the enemy won’t kill you or your countrymen. You do it until there’s no one left for you to kill. That’s what war is.
In the end, my story, in Iraq and afterward, is about more than just killing people or even fighting for my country. It’s about being a man. And it’s about love as well as hate.
Family may, under some circumstances, outrank Country. But it’s a close race.
…hit a horse? Never saw a reason good enough.
…limpet mine is a special charge that is placed against the hull of a ship.
Somehow, I managed to slip as well. My elbow flew out and landed straight on his face.
American taxpayers had invested considerable dollars in my education as a SEAL. I wanted to defend my country, do my duty, and do my job.
Our job was to secure the gate, and just because we didn’t have wheels to do it with didn’t mean it wasn’t getting done.
I f***** love this. It’s nerve-wracking and exciting and I f****** love it.
…what I saw of the overall battle was like looking at an enormous landscape painting through a tiny straw.
Every battle-weary man rose, went to the window, and saluted. The words of the music echoed in each of us as we watched the Stars and Stripes wave literally in dawn’s early light. The reminder of what we were fighting for caused tears as well as blood and sweat.
I’ve lived the literal meaning of the ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave’. It’s not corny for me. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my chest.
… shooting is only a small part of the job. It’s an important, vital part, but it’s far from everything. a SEAL sniper is trained to observe. It’s a foundation…
…important to remember that perfect circles do not exist in nature [explaining why the barrel of a gun must be camouflaged]
You need skill to be a sniper, but you also need opportunity. And luck.
…inserted on the California coast from a submarine.
The CO of the boat pulled us over and told us when the gang used the gym. So we went down to work out, locked the door behind us, and fixed the gang problem.
I have the tattoo on my back, peeking over my shoulder–as if those who came before me were looking after me, offering some protections.
…when your chief asks you to do something, you do it.
…I still hadn’t experienced the real depth of what being a father is all about.
…don’t have to psych myself up, or do anything special mentally–I look through the scope, get my target in the crosshairs, and kill my enemy before he kills one of my people.
With right eye looking through the scope, my left eye could still see the rest of the city. It gave me better situational awareness.
…people who have written about the battles in Fallujah mention how fanatical the insurgents were. They were fanatical, but it wasn’t just religion that was driving them. A good many were pretty doped up.
You cannot be afraid to take your shot.
Make an unjustified shot and you could be charged with murder.
Despite what your momma told you…violence does solve problems
…great bunch of good ol’ boys, warriors all.
Besides movies, I spent a bit of time playing computer games–Command and Conquer became a personal favorite.
…we were working as carpenters. It’s an honorable profession, but it’s not ours.
…always carried an American flag inside my body armor
Some people translate [Allah Inshallah] as ‘God willing’. What it really means is ‘ain’t gonna happen’.
No SEAL has ever actually admitted feeling pain since the beginning of Creation…
…If you loved them {Iraqi mothers]…you should have kept them away from the war. You should have kept them from joining the insurgency. You let them try and kill us=–what did you think would happen to them?
We stayed in our rooms…keeping to ourselves mostly. I spent a lot of time praying to God
With all hell breaking loose around me, it felt better to know I was part of something bigger.
We did have to haze them [new SEALs to the Team] of course. This one poor fella, we shaved his head and his eyebrows, then spray-glued the hair back on his face.
In BUD/S, officers and enlisted are all treated the same3: like shit.
…if I killed someone …I had to write a shooter’s statement on it. No joke.
The way things were, you couldn’t chance making a mistake. You’d be crucified if you didn’t strictly obey the ROEs.
Here are a few more favorites that use a military setting and plot to share experiences we are all of us familiar with:
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailor–to this day, one of my favorite books ever; a military classic
Horse Soldiers: –how Afghanistan started. It involves problem solving and horses
Galloping Ghost–the evolution of subs (particularly important since my book deals with subs); more problem solving
Big Red--life aboard a nuclear submarine (the class of sub hunted in my book); what we do to keep American freedoms safe–it’s all about carrying a big stick, not weilding it
Gates of Fire--the Spartans in Thermopylae–what warriors they were. Amazing how properly inspired, man can do the impossible
Killer Angels--quite human soldiers during the Civil War; a classic. A peek into the ordinary people who protected our Union.
A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh
The Influence Of Sea Power Upon History, 1660 – 1783 – an amazing historic masterpiece on this topic–the essential read
In the Company of Soldiers by Rick Atkinson
No Easy Day–SEAL takedown of UBL
If you’re interested in this topic, you’ll love these books.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews Tagged: military, SEALs
May 21, 2014
How to Write Descriptions People Want to Read: Nature
This is the next in the “How to Write Descriptions” series.
I like to collect descriptions other people have of life. I keep them on a big spreadsheet that I’m constantly updating. I read a lot and I pay attention to how my fellow authors get their ideas across, how they create pictures of scenery from their words. I’m in awe of people like Peter Matthiessen with his nature descriptions and Margaret Meade with her emotion-invoking portraits of people.
Here’s my collection of nature. I’ve drawn many of them from the following authors:
Matthiessen, who I think is the quintessential writer on our environs
Margaret Meade–to her, people don’t exist outside of their habitat. I agree
Barry Lopez–a beautiful nature writer
many more I don’t remember, just copied their words down, in awe over their ability to draw me into their worlds
Here’s my list. I hope it inspires you as it does me (note: please don’t copy these words; just use them to kick start your writing):
big pink-lavender grasshoppers sail away on the hot wind,theburring of their flight as dry and scratchy as the long grass and the baked black rock
grasshoppers clicking in the dry air
worn trail
the dusty trail led through desperate-looking junipers
every trail disappeared as thoroughly as water dried under Sun’s scorching heat, and then he just didn’t have time
the whisper of our passage through dry grass
stands out like a scar, catching your notice like the pain that caused it
mother nature’s store
pastoral scene
examine the lichen growth of low-lying boulders and the moss encircling the trunks of trees
the old decayed log, long softened by rot and spotted with moss
detect smoke for a distance of two to three miles
deep shadow of a maple tree
the air was rich with winter jasmine and cold, and grew even colder
a rough-skinned frog camouflaged against cracked and lined bark
leaves hung limp in the gray, damp air
nothing so black in Africa as the thorn tree
the day was out of sync with his mood
daylight had begun to drain away
air was cool but the sun was out
sky as gray-white and sunless
one-quarter of a moonlit night
cold light
silver-white moon hung
a half-moon rests in the fronds over our heads
watching the horizon drain of color
inky blackness
thick clouds blotted out the stars
a thin layer of clouds masked the full moon, filling the room with blue light
cool restful shady world with light filtering lazily through the tree tops that meet high overhead and shut out the direct sunlight
it supplies them with all of their needs
the season turned and the night was clear and cold
dusk blanketed Bakersfield
domesticated tree
cuts lengths of vine, softened it by running it quickly from hand to hand, pulling it sharply through the fork of the thumb
reeds and head-high marsh grass
dry and stalky and lost all nutritive value
dry grass, stalky brush and deadwood
hot scrub
tall tussock grasses
cattails (edible, soft fluff)
a green meadow bathed in the humid light of a sinking sun
gigantic gnarled spirals, almost as thick as a man’s body (the roots) joining the main trunk which towered above. Called ‘elephant tree’ because they always took refuge in one if they were attacked by elephants
the fire popped loudly as a stone exploded
splashed through the water, into a copse of juniper, pushing through the calf-high grass and scrub to a small rock outcropping
the damp air, the gigantic water-laden leaves that are constantly dripping, the violent storms that come with monotonous regularity, the very earth itself heavy and cloying after the slightest slower
whizzing chirr of the insects
More descriptor articles:
How to Write Descriptions People Want to Read: an African Landscape
How to Describe Vehicles–Cars, Boats, Planes, More
How Your Characters Might Recognize an Emotion Part I
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: descriptors, nature, setting, writers resources, writing Tagged: descriptors, matthiessen, nature, pictures, setting
May 19, 2014
14 Tips for Young Adult Writers
“YA” or “Young Adult” fiction is novels, stories, poetry, and various non-fiction written for adolescents, the group somewhere between ‘children’ and ‘adults’. It includes popular novels like Hunger Games, Harry Potter, andSE Hinton’s The Outsiders.
Look at this infographic on the YA market, put together by Bowker Books, the world’s leading provider of bibliographic information and management solutions to the publishing industry:
The YA market is exploding, not only in published novels but readers.
Plus, as many adults read YA as the core audience, so if you’re writing in that genre, it becomes a difficult requirement to fulfill at times. Here are some tips to help you succeed:
include themes appropriate for teens
include language used by teens
don’t ‘dumb it down’. Intellect and depth of meaning has nothing to do with YA reading.
plot, setting, and character are more important than theme and motivation
most YA protagonists are teens that have teen sort of problems–first love, dysfunctional families, school.
‘coming of age’ stories are popular in YA, showing how a young adult deals with problems typical to that age group and ends up stronger and better for that struggle
Rachel Cohn estimates that 60 to 65 percent of YA fiction is written in the first person and present tense. Certainly not required
the pace is quicker than other genres. Why? Hard to say (because I don’t write it). I’d love to hear from you on this
include lots of dialogue. YA readers like hearing the characters talk.
teens in the story often sound like adults but act like kids. The idea is that teens are intelligent and capable, just not as experienced. I like that.
include what David Levithan calls an ‘emotional truth’–the ah hah moment that makes the book resonate with its young readers.
don’t be afraid to use Pop Culture to ground the story, but be aware it could date it. Pick carefully when you include those references.
there’s almost always an underlying optimism in YA–that things will work out, the world with survive, life will be better. Not true in all genres.
Robert Heinlein’s advice: Write the best story you can and then take out all the sex (I couldn’t verify this as a Heinlein quote. It’s catchy though, isn’t it?)
YA writers: Please add your comments. I update this list yearly and would love to include your thoughts.
More genre articles:
19 Tips for Children’s Writers
8 Tips for Historic Fiction Writers
8 Tips for Historic Fiction Writers
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: Genre tips, writers tips Tagged: ya, young adult
May 16, 2014
Lone Survivor Quotes
Leading Petty Officer Marcus Lutrell and four teammates from SEAL Team Four went on a covert operation into the mountains of Afghanistan where they encountered two adult men and a teenage boy. Rather than kill them–and prevent any chance the villagers would betray their presence to the local Taliban–Lutrell opted to let them go.
An hour later, that turned out to be a deadly mistake. The Team was attacked by 150 Taliban. They killed one hundred, but at the cost of every SEAL save Lutrell. He was left injured and far from American rescuers.
Now retired from the SEALs, he is an in-demand motivational speaker. I came across an amazing video of one of his speeches to the National Rifle Association. Not sure you want to invest 13 minutes in the ramblings of an under-dressed ex-Special Forces redneck? Start with these quotes, taken directly from his presentation:
In my short ten year career, I’ve been shot, stabbed, blown up, helicopter crashed, drowned three times, had a stroke underwater, captured by the enemy, and buried 45 of my closest friends
You can’t negotiate with someone who is trying to cut your head off
I was paralyzed from the waist down (he and 3 SEALs had fought off 150 Taliban for hours—he was the Lone Survivor) and I thought, What am I going to do now?
We aren’t heroes out their in the military. We’re just Patriots.
I sat there and felt sorry for myself for one minute, then I had to keep going
Any government that thinks war is somehow fair and subject to rules like a baseball game probably should not get into one. Because nothing’s fair in war, and occasionally the wrong people do get killed. (I confess–this is from the book)
Once you send me over there, take the leash off of me, I’m going to create so much hell, do everything I can to annihilate everything in front of me so that they are never going to attack us again
We’re getting it done.
Click here to go to the source.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews Tagged: lone survivor
May 14, 2014
How to Describe a Landscape
This is the next in the “How to Write Descriptions” series.
Landscape descriptions are many and varied, so I’ll just touch on a few. These, as usual, come from writing I admire, so don’t copy them. Use them to inspire your own creativity:
Open land
Flat, dry, and monotonous, a seemingly limitless scrub waste without landmarks or water or other relief
Great sandstone outcropping
Easing over humps and trenches, potholes and stone rivers, bashing through the trees where a track is blocked, the bucking climbs up steep eroded banks
This wasn’t a Sahara-like desert of sand dunes. There were sporadic tufts of trees, acacia and baobab, and on-again off-again grasses and shrubs as far as the eye could see atop the brown earthen crust, a surface that looked as hard as stone and somehow even less inviting.
A large outcropping of bundled roots from the remains of a dead baobab had broken free from the hard pack alongside the road and needed to be negotiated, a dry wadi that crossed the highway required downshifting to safely cross,
The miles, the motion, the flat wide-open land, the twisted Joshua trees and the hot orange sunsets.
because of the time and the approaching rain, followed small antelope trails instead of the larger buffalo trails, and in this way kept to a more direct route
dust was everywhere—on leaves, branches, even on my teeth and lips
Narrow rocky defile
Beneath the jutting stone ledge, she sat hunched into a ball, knees tight against her chest, her damp clothes about her.
Mountains
the cloud mist lifted, gradually came the dull patches of red glowing far beyond the cliffs. Two active volcanoes
distant harsh mountains are composed of granite, covered with thorny shrubs and acacia trees (Africa)
mountains, thrusting spires of naked rock into the heavens so high that you would believe the very sky was pierced
Valleys
bounded on three sides by basalt outcrops and partially screened by brush
followed the ridge down toward a patch of grass
Olduvai appeared like a dark rift
Water
Oxbow lake
The river was a vigorous and optimistic blue
back to a rotting log that some long-forgotten flood had deposited crossways on the spit
mouth of a thick sulfurous stream
watch the river (like a snake) to see the coiling of its muscular currents, catch the shimmering of waves that caught the sunlight like scales
dry creek bed
Forests
the gallery forests of river red gum, various grasses, that lined the channels. Maybe a low-lying area where runoff from high ground collected after rain. Sometimes dense stands of mulga (acacia) woodland would grow there, where water was easiest to find in a desert.swallowed up by the jungle
thickly scented spruce branches clutched at his clothes, slapped against his chest and shredded his hand
thick forest that carpeted the uplands
Along its length, cottonwoods had sprung up; young trees little more than twice a man’s height. Thick grass had carpeted the narrow strip
Cities
Cracks like hardweed through a broken sidewalk
Gordian knot of one-way streets
he saw Russia. He saw its fields, steppes, villages and towns, all bleached white by the moon and bright stars.
Terms:
Hills
Valleys
Ridge
Saddle
Cliff
Draw spur
Cut
Fill
Contour lines
Man-made objects
Mixture
Hawkes Pond gleamed through a very thin fringe of trees. It was a long narrow pond and across it the land rose up in a wooded hill crowned with power lines.
Splashing through somewhat deeper water, meter-tall sedge beds, speed is very slow and awkward.
Reeds and cattails, bunchgrasses, dense thicket, (present as small mounds 10-15 cm tall
Grass covers mounds, depressions that you would tend to stumble in as you walk
Croc-infested rivers during rainy season would inhibit large mammal movement
Mts (rain shadow), rivers (flood), lakes (subterranean water)
African habitats (mosaic pattern): forests (groundcover is ferns), woodlands (ground cover is grasses, no canopy)), bushlands (tree species grow as bushes with multiple stems, more fruit) with thickets, shrublands (scrub or dwarf woodlands), grasslands, wooded grasslands, deserts
Plants: euphorbia, cacti,
Grassland—-plateau, open country, velds, scrubland, deep washes, wadis, gully, arroyo, wash, cut, creek
Grasses—poacea Hyparrhenia diplandra, forbs, coarse and grows in tufts, euphorbia
Savanna vegetation—corms, bulbs, tap roots, rhizomes
Found a very nice outcropping of rocks just over the crest, the kind of place snakes love.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: descriptors, setting, writers resources Tagged: biomes, descriptions, landforms, landscape, setting, writing
