Muse Food – Hong Kong And Trees
In any major city, we often see sites like this one in Hong Kong – a tree or plant growing where it seems impossible for it to grow, trying to reclaim part of the terrain.
This happens almost everywhere on Earth.
There are stories of nature reclaiming the land around Chernobyl, for example. And the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I often joke that the super aggressive vine in our yard would devour our home completely in less than a decade.
Life WILL take over a vacated spot. That life could be plants or insects or bacteria or…something else.
I remember that when I’m writing about deserted planets or outposts. Those places are unlikely to look exactly like they had looked when the last human or humanoid left. Other lifeforms will move in and the places will change.
Our stories should address that.
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Muse Food – Hong Kong Reflections
The Dear Wonderful Hubby took this beautiful photo of Hong Kong while we were watching one of the nightly free light shows.
I love how all the colors are reflected in the water.
Having our characters reflect on past events is a very powerful tactic, especially if there has been a loss of a loved one in a battle or in some other action-packed event.
During battle, there’s no time for grief, for sorrow, for thinking about the loss. Everyone is fighting to stay alive. The action and reaction is fast, fast, fast.
It is not until later, when they are out of immediate danger, when they can slow down, that characters AND the reader can grieve. It is often during these reflections, during these internal replays that we are able to cry over the loss.
Use reflections or replays as a tool for great storytelling.
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Muse Food – Grouping Like Things
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this collection of smooth, triangular boulders in Hong Kong.
One such boulder would have been interesting. But it likely would have gotten lost in the rest of the display.
Four similar-looking boulders, however, grab our attention. We notice them. We notice their shape, their colors, their size.
Writers use this same technique in stories. We employ symbolism more than once (I use it around three times or more), for example, because that ensures readers notice it. We repeat a key idea multiple times in slightly different ways.
Grouping like things or like ideas is powerful. Use it in your own writing!
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