Sketches 2

Today’s sketch is what I call a “literary mood board.” A mood board is a tool used by designers and marketers to establish the look and feel for a print campaign, a digital effort, or any other kind of creative endeavor. It sets the tone, gives visual texture, and creates client excitement as they anticipate what could be. For my purposes, a literary mood board works in a similar way. When I’m not quite sure how to approach a certain scene or theme, I write a stream-of-consciousness piece that shows how the actual writing might take shape. I tend to write by feel, poking around at things until they take shape, so this method can be extremely helpful. It’s also a ton of fun.

This literary mood board is one I wrote for a project I’ve been working on for a couple of years called Super Lunas. It’s a story about teenage brothers, their struggle with each other, and their battle with leaving childhood. They also find an alien sword and fight robots and other cool stuff.

2

The Shadow Agent has crossed over and the worlds are becoming one, while the Mulnaria are awakened in their secret tombs deep within their electric caverns. Lightning strikes and the world is undone as the phase of the moon slips the planets into darkness. Now the robotic giants can dance in the streets while the Luna brothers of Earth must find their purpose. It is common knowledge the first key lies at the bottom of Riker Lake. Beneath its freezing waters. Tucked away. The robot wizards know of its power, know the truths it holds and the destruction it wields. From the crystal caves to Tarkus to the black forest to New England—they know. Pink lights. Purple electricity. The pyramid space station waits in orbit, sweeping the atmosphere back into the infinite chasm of outer-outer space. Atoms split, loves formed, the Luna brothers awakened. The Luna brothers awakened. The Luna brothers awakened.

– – –

The woods outside North Ellington surround Riker Lake like a mother’s womb. The dark waters themselves are a portal to outer territories, to the far reaches of space, time, and all things measureable. To death.

– – –

The vampire-witches of Tarvos live in the high mountain caves. They fly to the top of the mountain. Nobody goes there—it is certain death. The Lunas hunt the witch queen Cretheus, who is responsible for the forming of the Black Sword. Her sister (mother?) Velenus has raised the demon-king of the east.

These fragments are for my purposes only. They are simply an aid as I begin to shape a story. My notebooks are littered with these exercises—sometimes they are referenced later, most times they are not. These little ditties are not designed to be coherent to anyone but the author, remember, they are simply setting tone. Details, structure, and good writing come later!