Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Write-Edit-Publish August Challenge Spectacular Settings

From Write-Edit-Publish comes this nice blog hop.


For this challenge you will:
1.    Firstly share a paragraph from a novel, or an extract from a poem, or a photograph that stopped your heart with a spectacular setting etc. 

2.    Describe how your chosen 'setting' spoke to you. Why did you like it?

3.    Then you have the option to:

     a)     write your own 'setting' piece in any genre, or share a ‘setting’ from your WIP, or…
     b)     write your own poem which highlights 'setting', or 
     c)     share a photograph that blows you away every time you look at it and tell us why.
     d)     share an artwork that shows a 'setting' you love and tell us why you love it.
     e)     write a small playscript which highlights 'setting'.

I've chosen a photograph. This was a real sunset. I took the picture. Growing up in the Caribbean I've seen my fair share of beautiful and spectacular sunsets, but this one wins first place. Every time I see this picture I'm reminded of nature's incredible ability to create art and beauty. And always it is ever changing and ephemeral. Though I was able to capture this particular moment, it doesn't do it justice because we, the viewers, are unable to experience the expanse, the immensity, of sky and ocean. Here it has been framed, boxed in, limited. This picture is merely the essence of something that was much grander and ceased to exist long ago.
For my setting piece, here is an excerpt from a novel I've been working for far too long. It's one of those stories that's dear to my heart. To set the scene, picture eleven-year-old Sam and her best friend, Nick. Between them, their imaginations are inexhaustible. They are playing a game on a beach and have taken on the personas of the superheros, Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman. 

The Squalsh are as big as hundred pound dogs and look like a cross between a sea cucumber and a spiny sea urchin. They can throw their spines like javelins and are altogether repulsive. The only thing in the superheroes favor is that the monsters are as slow-moving as sloths, which makes it easy to stab them - avoiding the spines of course - with their spears.

“Tentacle! Behind you!” Sam whirls around. Three of the pukey green-black things are squalching towards her. She extends her eight tentacle arms towards the slow moving slugs and stabs at them with her spears. It only takes one well-placed jab to kill them. 

The Squalsh fly around like popped balloons making a farting noise and expelling a stinking non-deadly gas. Tentacle and Mosquito dance around to avoid being smothered by the deflating stinking blobs of goo that are ejecting spines. It isn't long before the beach is littered with piles of oozing dead slugs. The monsters, realizing that today they cannot invade this beach, retreat into the sea. Mosquito zips around triumphant and Tentacle waves her arms in victory.


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Hope you enjoyed today's Special Edition blog post. Are you taking part in this blog hop? 


27 comments:

  1. Bish, thank you so much for sharing that truly spectacular sunset! I've seen some doozies in my time, and this one is certainly up there with sunsets I've seen in Fiji and Nice. Glorious! As you say, painted by an artist's hand. I can understand why it means so much.

    And thank you for that endearing story of Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman. Looks like all the senses came out to play for our enjoyment. I wish you all the best finishing this book. Sounds like you might find it hard to let go.

    Thanks for posting to WEP!

    Denise :-)

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    1. Thanks, Denise. The tropic do seem to have a gift for putting on great sunset shows!

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  2. Bish

    Sunrises and sunsets are two of the most dramatic, awe-inspiring, and life confirming daily occurrences that never cease to amaze. Some more than others, but in most of our hurried lives, we seldom take notice. But this sunset, how could you not notice? Magnificent!

    Your flash was sweet; superheroes Mosquito and Tentacles are wonderful alter egos for Nick and Sam. The Squalsh are truly imaginative, and the perfect alien enemy for a beach invasion. Such fun! I hope you're continuing your work on the novel involving these two busy superheroes.

    Thank you for sharing your sunset and your imaginative flash with the WEP Spectacular Settings Challenge, I hope you'll return in October to let us know what Sam and Nick are planning for Halloween.

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement to keep working on my story!

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  3. I bet you've seen some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. your picture is stunning. Love the description. It sounds like what kids can totally relate to. Good luck with your project.

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    1. Yes, Natalie. I've seen lots of sunrises and sunsets, but never one quite like that one.

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  4. The photo - just wow! And a wonderful description of the kids playing. The landscape of their imagination is amazing. You gotta be wary of the Squalsh.

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  5. Bish, love your scene. SWEET. You MUST finish this novel. Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman.
    are the coolest. PLEASE. Finish it, pal. That picture is fabulous, Bish. MAN, Breathtaking. Love it.

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    1. Robyn, you read this novel in it's early first stages. I'm working through revisions now. I'm changing things up quite a bit.

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  6. No, can't join, but will totally enjoy your contributions. You can't go wrong with Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman.

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  7. I can see it! "Tentacles behind you!" How great. And I can only imagine how lovely that setting in the image was in person.

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    1. If you can see, then maybe my words are working!

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  8. Most dramatic sunset and great colors.Great write.

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  9. What a fantastic sunset! Glorious nature. I can really hear the kids' voices in your flash - they have great imaginations and I worry that some children just sit in front of screens all day with their imagination feed instead of them feeding their own imagination. 'Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman,' great names.

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    1. I'm concerned about the same thing, Sally, that kids are getting out an playing and learning how to entertain themselves.

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  10. Hi Bish, your photograph is amazing, and I understand exactly what you mean about the view being boxed in. I’ve encountered skies like that in the past but my photographs never do them justice.

    Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman sound like a lot of fun - piles of oozing dead slugs don't sound quite so good. Although I’m sure they will make for an excellent story.

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  11. Hello Bish.
    That is THE most beautiful sunset picture I've ever seen. Stunning doesn't even begin to describe it...
    Thank you for the visual therapy.

    Mosquito Man and Tentacle Woman. Perfect characters. I always say that those who write stories for kiddies have so much fun!
    Nice to connect via WEPFF Challenge.

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  12. Nature's paintings are the best. I can see why you love this image. The superhero flash was fun and I can see that kids would love it. I was imagining the visuals in my mind. Hope this sort of story is illustrated at some point. . .enjoyed this.

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  13. Wow that is a stunning sunset! Your flash was fun to read. :-)

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  14. Bish, sorry, I realized I never got back to read this! A bit behind this week.
    Farting slugs - funny!
    And that is a really amazing photo.

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  15. HI, Bish...

    You photo is INDESCRIBABLE... Stunning does not do it justice!

    MGers will LOVE this....

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  16. First of all- that photo is absolutely amazing! It has so much to look at and the colors are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing the excerpt. Sounds like a book MG kids will love (and me too). :)
    ~Jess

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!