Cats Rule Dubai
There were SO MANY feral cats in Dubai. And they appeared to be VERY well taken care of. We saw feed and water bowls everywhere and we chanced upon a man in a Santa hat cheerily filling some of those bowls.
There were also signs all over the place, including on the boardwalk, stating that no dogs were allowed in the area. You and I both know those were posted by cats.
(grins)
Oh and I wasn’t the only person taking photos of the feral cats. I bumped into cooing, adoring cat fans originating from all over the world.
Muse Food – Average Guy Angels And The Unexpected
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted an average guy trying on a pair of angel wings in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The average guy seemed to love doing this. (He was surprised by the weight of those wings.) And everyone around him was smiling and laughing.
Because we don’t usually picture an angel as an average guy. They are usually stunningly beautiful and super fit and not wearing white running shoes with black socks. (grins)
Give your story an ‘average guy angel’, something unexpected, something enchanting.
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Moon Landings And Other Awkward Conversations
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were sitting in a restaurant on a cruise ship. One of the things cruise ship restaurant staff often do, upon request, is seat strangers at a table together.
The table next to us was in that situation.
And we were shamelessly eavesdropping.
(grins)
There was a male/female couple and a woman on her own. She told the couple that Kevin, her husband, would be joining them. He was running a bit late.
The male half of the already seated couple dominated the conversation. He complained about the state of the US, spewed off some rather racist comments (they were all white folks at the table).
And THEN he REALLY warmed to his theory that the moon landing was fake.
He chattered for about fifteen minutes about how it was all scripted, how the astronauts were actors, how the space program was truly a means of funneling money to the Libs, etc. etc.
Finally, his wife nudged him.
“Oh, I must be boring you,” he told the solitary woman.
“It’s okay.” Her eyes glittered. “I’m used to all the space talk by now.”
Her husband sits down.
“Kevin.” She pats his arm. “Worked for NASA for thirty years.”
Friends, the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I almost fell out of our chairs laughing.
The delivery was perfect.
The conspiracy theorist immediately had an ‘oh sh*t’ expression on his face.
His wife’s eyes widened.
Kevin’s wife had an almost gleeful smile on her beautiful face.
Kevin, the former NASA worker, was completely oblivious and started chatting about what he did at NASA and some of the projects he’d been involved in.
It. Was. AWESOME!
(laughs)
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Local Pricing In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were watching a vendor operate near the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was selling slices of mango, watermelon, and pineapple in a bag.
The vendor charged two prices for the same bag.
The tourists paid 250 pesos and had extremely quick, efficient and quiet service.
The locals paid 100 pesos and they were expected to engage in a lot of chatter with the vendor. (smiles) He looked as though he was telling them long, elaborate and very humorous stories.
There was an option to put spice on the fruit.
If you ever buy from that specific vendor, DO NOT take the spice option unless you REALLY like spice.
It was too much for many of the locals. They spluttered and coughed. Their faces turned red. Their eyes watered.
Which made the vendor laugh some more.
(grins)
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Taking The Public Bus In The Seychelles And Other Death-Defying Adventures
This is NOT the bus we took. It IS a public bus but not the one we risked our lives by taking. (grins)
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I enjoy taking public transit when we travel. It gives us a tiny slice of the average local’s life, it is less expensive, and…it is often an adventure.
That ended up being VERY true when we visited Victoria, Seychelles.
The first thing we learned was very few people took Euros (we were informed by online folks that they WOULD take Euros and that was incorrect). So we had to change money into the local currency.
Bus passes were sold at the terminal. There was a bit of a line up for them. But that was okay because buses left for routes once every hour or so and we had the time.
We got on the bus headed toward Fairyland Beach. This route had steep hills and the driver drove…aggressively.
He rode the bumper of the car ahead of us. And he drove QUICKLY, stopping and starting suddenly. We had to hang onto the seat back in front of us for dear life.
Even with that precaution, I exited the bus with a new collection of bruises. (grins)
There were turns so tight buses and large trucks had to take turns to navigate them.
At one point, I turned to the Dear Wonderful Hubby and whispered, “We are going to die.”
But we didn’t die. (laughs) And now we have a great story to tell.
Just know that taking the public buses in the Seychelles is NOT for the timid or the easily bruised!
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Muse Food – Poseidon / Neptune In Mazatlán And Other Gods
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this GIANT statue of Poseidon / Neptune in Mazatlán, Mexico.
It was aptly situated next to the aquarium. (grins)
Almost every culture on Earth has at least one deity featured in its stories. It is human to want to credit the wonders of this planet and the often seemingly random events in our lives to a greater power.
I suspect this will also be true of many off planet cultures.
Who is your character’s deity (or deities)? What do these deities control? What do they look like? How do they act? What do THEY value?
This will tell you and readers a lot about your character’s concerns/beliefs/values.
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Baobab Trees In Madagascar
The naturalist in Madagascar, along with the driver, took the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I to see some Baobab Trees.
Due to time restraints, we couldn’t see the HUGE ones. Those were located farther away.
But the Baobab Trees we did see were dang impressive.
The trees, when not chopped down by humans, live for centuries. They’re a source of water for people and animals and they support an entire ecosystem.
We had watched a gazillion documentaries about these amazing trees and it was a bit surreal to finally see them in person. I was grinning from ear to ear during the visit. (grins)
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Muse Food – Mazatlán And Juxtaposition
We were trekking along a very urban part of Mazatlán, Mexico when we came across this body of water and the greenery surrounding it.
It delighted us.
I LOVE contrasts. They always grab my attention and delight me.
And I’m not alone. Many readers are intrigued by contrasts and juxtapositions also.
The hero with the scarred face and the sadness reflecting in his eyes. The heroine who kicks a$$ yet stops to pet a kitten. The desert planet with a green oasis in the middle of it. The sea licking at the sandy shore.
Use juxtaposition and contrasts to captivate your readers.
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Enchantment In Madagascar
The Dear Wonderful Hubby arranged for a naturalist to accompany the two of us as we trekked around the wild parts of Madagascar.
This naturalist has appeared in countless documentaries. He has accompanied hundreds of scientists as they completed their missions. He has lived amongst the trees and creatures of Madagascar most of his life.
Yet he still became super excited when he spotted certain frogs or insects or plants.
And I found that utterly enchanting. It added to our own excitement over seeing the wonders of nature.
(I LOVE beetles and Madagascar had SO MANY of them. That made me super happy. – smiles)
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Muse Food – Jellyfish Sculptures And Multipurpose Scenes
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted these jellyfish sculptures by a bus stop in Dubai.
They serve at least two purposes. They’re beautiful works of art. AND they provide much needed shade for waiting transit users.
Our scenes should, ideally, be like these jellyfish sculptures. They should, at the minimum, serve two purposes.
Maybe the scene hints at a future event. Or it reveals a character’s motive. Or it shows how the character is changing. Or it transitions the reader from one place to another. Or…it could have a gazillion different purposes.
Challenge yourself to make your scenes work harder and do more!
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