Monday, January 28, 2013

a whole new world!

Welcome to the Build a World Workshop! I mean blog hop. It's going on all week! For details, see Sharon Bayliss - instigator!

Today we are talking about Geography and Climate.

BROKEN BRANCH FALLS is a nice little town in the Southeast Sector of Land Mass Four (which is Earth in five hundred years or so, minus humans). The climate is similar to Tennessee's Blue Ridge Mountains, with October being the best time of year to visit as it is warm, but mild. The foliage and creatures have mutated and adapted due to the legend of a cataclysmic war centuries ago that used chemical and biological warfare, leaving enormous trees, dangerous birds, magical creatures, with brilliant colors usually signifying caution. A visit through this Sector is worth the trek! I have highlighted points of interest and spots to steer clear of below.
The first place you must put on your itinerary to see while visiting the Southeast Sector is The Sea of Notion, with lovely condos on the beach, many aquatic activities, and plenty of museums and a planetarium in the nearby City of Learning. If you like to hike, the most scenic range is the Iridescent Mountains with hot spring pools for relaxing in on your way up, but you must schedule a dragon fly by to really see how the range earned its name. For a white water rafting adventure, put your boat in at Broken Branch Falls on the Steddy Rolling River. Just be sure to pull out by Trickle Stream so you don't take the unfathomable drop off at Make a Wish Falls. Echo Cliffs is a hot spot for youngsters, but if the ground trembles, take cover. The giants kids like to throw their voices too. On your journeys through the Southeast Sector, you might want to avoid The Nest, Blood Lake, the Perch, Black Dog Forest, and Treasure Trees, as their inhabitants do not take kindly to strangers. But if you study up on their cultures, you might be able to survive. 

I hope you enjoyed that quick geographic summary of BROKEN BRANCH FALLS. Now for some brief news!

I hope you have your calendars marked for the Back from the Future Fest! Coming March 1, M Pax, Nicki Elson, and Suze are hosting a hop to see what we put in a time capsule sent back from the future!
image.jpeg

PreviewHave I told you about the online book club I joined? I usually shy away from book clubs because, A) I'm a slow reader - no time to read, B) if I don't like a book, I can't finish it, and C) I don't know of any in my area... These could be lame excuses, but I couldn't think of any NOT to join THE PROGRESSIVE BOOKCLUB! This genius creation of M L Swift is for craft books - books on writing! And it's all here online, so even if you don't have time to join, you can read what we have to say about the books. I can't wait for the first "meeting" on February 20th where we discuss BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. So far, she's a hoot!

I hope you've written your submission for the Overcoming Adversity hop! That's next Monday and Tuesday! I have to get moving on it myself!

Did you get some writing done this weekend? What is the World like in your story? (and it doesn't have to be fantasy! Every setting needs building up!) Are you in a book club? Why or why not?

HaPPy MoNDaY!

36 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nice map! No humans? Bet it's a lot cleaner.
And I actually AM ready for Nick's blogfest! Wrote my entry yesterday.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I think the tortoises could draw a better map than I can. :) I've learned to just sketch out the basics so I can remember what road goes where, the protag's house is over here, etc. It's not pretty but it gets the job done.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Wow you really know the world your book is set in. Excellent work giving us a nice guide through it. I focused on my fan fiction last weekend.

Dana said...

Great map!

I love Bird by Bird! Maybe I'll drop by in February and see what you're all talking about.

Happy Monday!

Jennie Bennett said...

Thank you for posting that map. My reading will now be that much more enjoyable!

mshatch said...

Fun map! I can't really map my world since it's in space - all the way over in the Andromeda Galaxy :)

Heather M. Gardner said...

That is such a cool map! I wouldn't mind living in the Iridescent Mountains w/ the dragons! :)

You sound very busy!

Make sure you leave time to write!

Heather

Optimistic Existentialist said...

No humand! I bet the animals are rejoicing :)

Carrie-Anne said...

Very nice map! It looks a bit like a Dr. Seuss drawing.

Elise Fallson said...

Very cool map! I tried doing something like this but didn't get very far with it. You've inspired me to give it another stab. (: And I'm going to try to join in the Progressive book club end of Feb. if I can. Sounds like fun!

Jessie Humphries said...

Wow, that is an awesome amount of world building. I would like to see that Sea of Notion! That is a cool name. No, I did not get anything done this weekend except laundry! haha.

Julie Flanders said...

Loved learning about Broken Branch Falls and I've very impressed with your map. The book club sounds awesome, I love Bird by Bird. :)

Jackie said...

Love the map, Tara! What a great idea!

Nicole said...

Gotta have a map. ;)

I love creating them for my own stuff, too.

VikLit said...

Love the map!! Hope that's going in the book. :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Great map!

I draw them too for my work but could never publish them they look like a three year old drew them!

Aldrea Alien said...

Another world with no humans! Admittedly mine's another planet, not Earth, but yay!

I love your map. So detailed. And you had my attention at Blood Lake. I don't care if it's dangerous, I wanna see it!
Right after a dragon ride.

Bethany Elizabeth said...

I wish I could draw a map of my world, but I can't to save my life. I have to use a Warcraft Map Generator and kind of eyeball it. :) I edited a little this weekend, but no new writing. :( I wish I was in a book club, but I have absolutely no time! Alas. :)

Cynthia said...

What a nice map. I could see that on the inside cover of a book.

M Pax said...

I love the idea of treasure trees. Cool. Now I want to read and find out what treasures they have.

Thanks for mentioning Back From the Future. :) Have a wonderful week.

Fida Islaih said...

I remember reading bird by bird in my cw class, enjoy it! Thanks for sharing the blog hop, it sounds like an interesting place! Hpy Monday to you, too (-:

Christine Rains said...

Very cool map! I love drawing maps for my worlds. I need to get writing my post for the Overcoming Adversity hop. I still don't know what I'm going to write, though!

Carrie Butler said...

I love that you have a map! That was one of the very first things I did. I made a brochure-style map of my fictional campus. :D

Jeff Hargett said...

Love the map!! So many interesting places!

Anonymous said...

Hi Tara. I love you map. Reminds me of JRR Tolkein's map in The Hobbit. I am a member of the book club. Look forward to reading your thoughts on Bird by Bird.

Rena said...

I love the map. I always start with map drawings too. I've been known to delay a scene to go through and draw up a good topo map first (I'm such a nerd).

Kelley Lynn said...

That map is amazing. I don't even attempt to draw. Then I'd have this horrible image of my world I've written in my head because I attempted to draw it... haha

Shallee said...

How fun! I love making maps for my books. They always help me make the setting and world more detailed and real. Thanks for sharing yours!

Laura Clipson said...

Wow, you are so much better at drawing maps than I am. The only map I've ever attempted drawing turned out terrible - maybe I should practise more! After all, practise makes perfect!

nutschell said...

I think maps are always a must for fantasy writers --especially if they're building new worlds :D
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Romance Book Haven said...

You did so much world building. Awesome!

Nas

Tyrean Martinson said...

Love this post and your map. I love maps for my stories, although mine are more like chicken scratches. I'll see you at the bookclub, and I'll be writing for the Overcoming Adversity hop this weekend.

Gwen Gardner said...

Love the map, Tara! And the book club sounds interesting as well. I'll have to check that out :)

Tara Tyler said...

i adore maps! and i have to sketch scene layouts so i know how to move the characters around!

thanks for the praises! it was fun to make!

and i see some of you have read bird by bird, so i'm not alone - it's a good dose of reality! and how not to take it so seriously!

Sharon Bayliss said...

What a lovely map! I'm happy to learn more about Broken Branch Falls after picking it for the title contest!

Unknown said...

I'd like to sign up for a trip please? Where do I send my check?

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