Menu Close

Tag: randomosity

Autobiography of a Fantasy Character – Origin Story

Fantasy is my favorite thing to read and write, in case you hadn’t yet caught on. But every genre comes with its own suitcase of tropes. I thought poking some fun at them (and at ourselves as fantasy lovers) would be entertaining, so welcome to the first post of a potential series: Autobiography of a Fantasy Character!

[image via Unsplash; graphic mine]

Once upon an unspecified time, I grew up in Quaint Village. It was a rustic, homespun sort of place where everyone was honest and hardworking and appropriately naïve about the greater world. The village lay nestled in a valley protected by mountains on every side, sheltered in every sense of the word.

When I was a very young boy, my parents died in a fire, so I lived with my uncle on his farm and spent my days herding sheep. Absolutely nothing else of note happened during my childhood.

Then I turned sixteen . . . and everything changed.

I began receiving visions, images of bloodshed and suffering that plagued both my sleep and my waking moments.

I also began manifesting mysterious powers. My fellow villagers were frightened and prepared to cast me out for witchery, when a hooded old man–

Oh, right. Allow me to back up. The only other notable thing about my childhood besides my orphan status was the old man who lived at the edge of the valley. He kept to himself, causing wild rumors about his past to circulate amongst the village folk. No one knew who he really was or where he came from, but his cloak and his staff made him look Very Important, so people left him alone. Except for me. I had one run-in with him as a child, which scared me out of my wits and also served to foreshadow future events.

Ahem. I turned sixteen, manifested powers I didn’t understand, and was about to be cast out by a mob of villagers, when the old man spirited me out of harm’s way. We hid in his hut, where he explained in cryptic words that I was special. Chosen, in fact. The world beyond Quaint Village was in dire need of a Hero to save them–and I was the only one who could do it. Of course.

But before I could ask more questions (like, “Why me?”), sudden war descended on Quaint Village. It appeared that my flare of powers had attracted a horde of not-quite-human soldiers. Gasp! The horror! They charged in, swinging massive blades, yelling in a guttural language, and setting fire to homes. And then they did the unthinkable.

They killed a sweet but personality-less friend of mine. A person named Incentive.

“NOOOOOO!” I screamed.

Charged with sorrow and vengeance, I struck out with my mysterious powers in a flash of light. These powers spun out of my control and conveniently decimated the entire horde of enemies, but also injured some of the villagers, including a resident bully who had hounded me for years.

Half of the villagers praised my victory, while the other half glowered with suspicion. (None glared quite so darkly as the bully.) The Very Important old man leaned on his staff and surveyed the damage I’d done, then muttered more cryptic words, something ominous along the lines of, “The old darkness has awakened.” And then he said, “Meet me on the mountain. Your training begins at sunrise.”

[via Unsplash]

That was how I met Mentor.

Afraid and confused, I climbed the mountain the next morning, where Mentor promptly began to rail at me for being late–as all teachers must do–and then launched into a flurry of tests to gauge my control over my powers. I failed every one of them. But each day, I climbed the mountain again for another training session. Mentor was gruff and difficult to please, but he sprinkled the physical lessons with nuggets of grandiose wisdom. He taught me how to harness the energy within me, control the visions, and wield a sword within a week. I was a fast learner. Chosen heroes have to be.

Every time I probed into his past, he dodged my questions, letting only one or two characteristically ambiguous hints slip out.

Once I had gained a basic level of training, another disaster occurred to keep the story of my life moving. More of those not-quite-human soldiers came to the valley, but this time they lay in ambush on the mountain where we trained. In the skirmish that followed, Mentor and I slew every enemy. The last one, as he lay dying, gurgled a warning: “The darkness is watching you, Hero. The final note will be sung . . .” And then he died.

Mentor looked shaken, which was unusual for him. Apparently the warning was the beginning of an old prophecy–about me, of course, as all prophecies tend to be. This is how it went.

Darkness watches the chosen one
Many wrongs have been done
When the final note has been sung
And night is day and old is young
Seize the keys that Villain flung



Mentor recited the poorly-written poetry with such doom and gloom in his voice that every word was branded perfectly in my memory after hearing it only once. I asked him what it meant, and all he knew was that the “keys” were said to be sealed in a vault far, far away in Distant Land. Or at least, they were supposed to be. The presence of these dark soldiers indicated that the keys had, in fact, been stolen. Nothing would be right with the world until they were restored to their rightful place.

“Who stole them?” I asked.

“Villain,” Mentor snarled. He then proceeded to spend a chapter of my life explaining Villain’s backstory.

Villain and his brother were princes in Distant Land, living in opulence and peace. But Villain’s older brother always bested him at everything, causing a deep bitterness to take root in the younger brother. The more they fought, the more Villain desired the throne, for it would be the ultimate victory against his sibling. To gain the strength necessary to seize it, Villain began dabbling in dark magic and soon grew evil. He killed his father, his brother, and his brother’s wife–somehow their infant child escaped his grasp–and seized the throne for himself. Now Villain reigned Distant Land with an iron fist. He enslaved his people and forged them into an army in the depths of the earth. And, Mentor told me, it appeared that he had snatched away the keys that kept the entire world in balance.

It was now my task to travel to Distant Land to find the keys, stop the Villain, and save the world.

If I refused, these dark soldiers would keep coming for me and endanger everyone I loved. I couldn’t help but think of poor Incentive, killed in cold blood, or the visions of suffering that still attacked me, providing me with both the logical and emotional means to commit to my quest. So with unquestioned resolve, I swore to do just as the prophecy foretold.

My real journey began at that moment. But little did I know what great and terrible things lay in store . . .

To Be Continued, Perhaps . . .

Turtle Cookies, a Book About Thinking, and a Friendly Chat

[via Pinterest]

Happy Saturday, friends! Right now, I’m curled up in the corner of the couch, with the Christmas lights on and carols playing in the background and family members quietly chatting and doing their own things throughout the house. It’s relaxing–which is wonderful after a week of final exams. I plan to soak in every minute of this break from school!

I’ve got time-specific posts planned for the next few weeks*, but nothing for today. So I thought, “Rather than hearing me yabbering on for a thousand words or so, why don’t I find out how all my Adventure Awaits pals are doing?” I don’t get the chance to make it to all of your lovely blogs as often as I’d like–and some of you are faithful commenters without blogs–so how about we sit down for a virtual coffee/chai/eggnog/whatever, and simply chat?

*In case you were wondering: something about Christmas on Dec. 23rd, Subplots and Storylines/yearly summary on Dec. 30th, and books of 2017 sometime in early January.

a view of the backyard

snow

Tell me–does it look like you’ll get a white Christmas? I’ve noticed a number of my southern friends from America are rejoicing over uncharacteristic snowfalls. It’s pretty average here in Manitoba . . . We had a lovely snow just recently that dressed the yard in fluffy white goodness. It’s putting me in a Narnia mood, to be honest.

Christmas

Everybody’s counting down the days and rushing  to finish last-minute shopping. But I hope you get to relax at least a little this holiday season. Do you have gatherings? Recitals? Other fun Christmas-y activities? What’s one of your Christmas traditions, if you have any?
One of mine is getting a new tree ornament from my parents every year. This year’s is a little white teapot with a blue paisley pattern, and the tag of a tiny “teabag” hanging out the top. It’s properly adorable! I love tea–certain kinds, with chai being my main favorite–and this ornament goes with a different year’s book ornament that’s lying open with a cup propped on the pages.

break

Many of you are high school or college/uni students, so I imagine you’re on break now, or will be shortly! Hallelujah! How did exams go? And for those of you in post-NaNoWriMo hibernation, are you recovering?


Christmas food

[source]
(Because I can’t stop talking about Christmas today, apparently.)

I went over to my classmate’s house one day during exam week, and we spent half the day studying, baking cookies, listening to Christmas music and Owl City, and watching Wonder Woman. Our shortbread cookies were rather epic. I brought over my family’s cookie cutters, which are all normal, traditional Christmas shapes. A tree, a star, a candy cane, a gingerbread man, and so on. For some inexplicable reason, however, there is also a turtle. No idea why, but my friend and I probably made more Christmas turtles than Christmas anything-else! I also succeeded in making a snowman with a nose that stayed sticking straight up.

Do you do any Christmas baking? What’s your favorite treat at this time of year? I’m currently salivating over my grandma’s vinarterta she made for an upcoming gathering! It’s originally an Icelandic dessert, and everybody’s recipe is different, but basically it’s dried plums between thin layers of cake. My grandma always tops it off with icing too. It might sound like an odd dish, but trust me–it’s delicious.

books

What are you reading right now? Are you loving it? Hating it? “Meh”-ing it? (Shush, that is a word.) Goodreads pals, are you caught up on your 2017 reading challenge? I’ve got three books to go, which should be doable.
After a week of textbooks and practically zero fiction, I’m hungrily diving into The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, a quirky little book that Mary Horton sent me as a present a couple months ago. I’ve been saving it for the holidays, because it’s one of those books you just KNOW you’re going to love. You know what I mean, right?
And so far, this is a deliciously fun story with the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, yet in a more modern-feeling world. I’m absolutely loving the wordplay and metaphors here.
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.

“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
“I’m afraid I don’t,” admitted Milo, feeling quite stupid.
“Well,” continued the watchdog impatiently, “since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking.” And with that, he hopped in the car. “Do you mind if I get in? I love automobile rides.”

and how are you doing?

Are you frazzled? Content? Excited? Tired? Christmastime brings with it a wide range of emotions for a wide range of people, so whatever it looks like in your little corner of the world today, just know that you are loved. Know that life (with all its bumps in the road) is pretty amazing. And know that God thinks you’re worth sending His Son for.

Well, considering I promised not to yabber, I did a lot of talking! Let’s hear from you now! Sit down, grab a turtle cookie, and chat away.

A Tour of My 2017 Bullet Journal



[Looks like I’m posting late again. I’d love to be able to say, “Check for new posts every Saturday morning bright and early at 7 am!” But it’s been hard to stay consistent with how busy school has been. My apologies, and thanks for understanding!]

Introductory note aside, I thought we’d do something a little different today! Usually I stick to blogging about reading books, writing books, admiring bookshelves, discussing the nature of books, watching books (oh wait, I mean movies), et cetera. Basically everything that equals story. With the exception of Subplots & Storylines, Adventure Awaits isn’t really a lifestyle blog.

Buuuut as we all know, life doesn’t fit in boxes. What affects life inadvertently affects writing. When life is prioritized, writing tends to go better. When life is chaos, I struggle to find time to string together even a paragraph, and when I do get time, my brain is too tired to make good use of it.

So, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to…

THE BULLET JOURNAL

Cue fanfare and trumpets!

This day planner/to-do list/calendar has been around for a while, but you may not have heard of it. Worry not, I shall do my best to get you well acquainted.

Before we begin, I’m not promising a miracle cure or easy fix. Bullet journaling may not even be for you. (Keep in mind, I’m the kind of person who LOVES lists, because they let me pin my thoughts down on paper where I can see them, manage them, and conquer them. You may be the exact opposite, which is great too.) But after keeping a bullet journal for the past year, and loving it, I’d like to share my experience. Who knows, it might help you put 2018 in ship-shape order!

what is a bullet journal?

They call it the analog system for the digital age–essentially, it’s whatever you want to make it. A typical bullet journal functions as a day planner combined with a to-do list, with calendars and goals and similar things thrown in. You can actually buy an official bullet journal, or read all about the real thing HERE.

Some people get really fancy and make theirs an art journal as well, with artwork and photos and quotes and washi tape and stickers all over the place. Just look up “bullet journal” on Pinterest or Instagram and you’ll find endless photos of aesthetically gorgeous journals. #jealous

What’s great, though, is that you don’t need anything fancy to get started. A regular old notebook works just as well. Spending hours on pretty art isn’t necessary unless you want to do it. The key to a bullet journal is how you organize it.

Rather than repeat what’s already on the website, I’ll be showing you my own personal methods.

Before we get there, you may be thinking, “But I have my phone’s calendar, notes, and apps to do all of this. Why would I go to the trouble of making a special journal?” If your phone’s tools are working for you, great! I still use all of those things too, because my phone does go with me where my bullet journal does not. What I prefer about bullet journaling, however, is the way everything is in one place. And I find that the physical act of writing makes things easier to remember and more satisfying to check off.

the notebook itself

I first heard about bullet journaling from my pal Lisa (affectionately referred to as Lisa Pickle about 99.3729% of the time) in 2016, and thought it sounded quite fun. So for the last couple months of the year, I experimented in an old notebook, just to see if I liked it and how I wanted to set it up. Then in January 2017, I bought this pretty notebook from Chapters and dove in for real! *is secretly pleased that the cover matches my blog* This notebook is lined, but next year I really want to try a dot-grid notebook!

organization

Like I mentioned before, this is definitely the key to making a bullet journal work for you, and it’s what sets it apart from regular planners.

I drew this legend on the first page to remember what each symbol means, but by now I no longer have to refer to it. Most of these are the official symbols, with one or two I made up for myself.

  • (dot) = a task that is yet to be completed (this is what you’d use on a to-do list, for example)
  • (x) = once you’ve completed a task, you turn the dot into an x to mark it off
  • (>) = to move a task to a different list, scratch a right-facing arrow over the dot to signify that it’s been moved elsewhere in the notebook
  • (<) = when you scribble down a task during Monday, let’s say, like “pick up cookies at the bakery” but it’s really a task for next Wednesday, you later draw a left-facing arrow over the dot to signify that you’ve scheduled the task (as in, moved it to Wednesday)
  • (a star) = priority task (self-explanatory)
  • (open circle) = an event, rather than a task
  • (dash) = a note, rather than a task or event

If it sounds complicated, it really isn’t–and you can always simplify these symbols however you like. My migrating and scheduling symbols have kind of merged over the year to just a “>” that tells me an incomplete task was moved to a future list.

On my next page, I have an index or table of contents. Since I didn’t know ahead of time where all my pages would end up, I just filled this in as I went along throughout the year, naming the pages and indicating the page numbers. This makes it easy for me to flip through and find what I’m looking for.

future logs

A future log is a six-month spread (again, set up however you like) that lists the major events and tasks coming up over the next half a year. I love this spread because it gives me a birds-eye view! Pictured below is my July-December future log.

(some dates blurred out for privacy)

You can see that I included birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, exams, important writing deadlines, and miscellaneous things like a wedding and a concert.

monthly spreads

I find this is the most fun to make, but also the most time-consuming! Every month I draw out a fresh calendar, which I fill in with my work schedule, school projects, events, appointments, birthdays, and more. Basically, it’s like zooming in on part of your future log, but in calendar format.

(sorry, a wee bit more blurring here too)

I start by drawing out the calendar with a ruler and pen. Then I list my goals for the month along the right-hand side, turning the dots into x’s once each task is completed. Lately a number of goals haven’t been completed by the end of the month, so they’re forwarded to the next month . . . and then the next month, and the next, until I finally finish them. Heh.

I also enjoy decorating my monthly spreads a little bit. It’s fun to change it up every month with a new color combo.

At the bottom of the spread, I draw a few habit trackers, which I’ll explain in more detail right away.

(Just a note: some people break their monthly spreads down into weekly spreads as well, but for me they’re redundant and take too much time.)

habit trackers

This is another favorite thing of mine! And I sound like a broken record saying this, but habit trackers are yet another thing that are very individual. Some people use them, others don’t. Some people track dozens of habits, others–like me–track just a few.

I chose to track my writing, blogging, reading, and bedtime habits. (Too many habits would’ve been hard to keep track of, and I suspect I would’ve fallen off the wagon if I’d attempted a dozen right away.) Each day that I write, work on blogging, read a book, or go to bed by 10:30 pm, I color in a square. (The bedtime habit has been an epic fail this year! Oops!) I’ve also seen people track exercise, devotions, how much water they drink, chores, and all sorts of things. And I may add one or two new habits next year. But the point is to make habit trackers work for you. They’re meant to motivate you and give you an honest look at how you spend your time.

daily logs

Every night before bed, I write down what I’ve done that day, check my goal progress, and fill in my habit trackers. If there are several things pressing on my mind for the next day, I’ll make a to-do list under that day’s heading. This takes just a couple minutes, and it’s relaxing to put the day to rest on paper.

My daily logs usually take just a few lines, unless I did a lot of varied things throughout the day. I’ll write down things like school times, work shifts, and errands I ran; or the fact that I edited my WIP, read a book, answered blog comments, hung out with family, or went out to eat. I’m not strict with how I list these things.

In this way, I’d say my daily logs are more like a bare bones journal. But some days that have a lot going on turn into more of a to-do list . . . which might be more effective if I carried my bullet journal around with me everywhere I went, but for what I need, using it once or twice at the beginning and end of my day works fine.

By the by, I don’t actually have a superhuman memory when I sit down to write those Subplots & Storylines monthly summaries. I rely hugely on my bullet journal!

Here’s a glimpse at a couple of pretty average daily logs:

As you can see, I mostly use the dashes to indicate notes about what I’ve done. To-do items are x’d out if I finished at the end of the day, or forwarded (>) to a different day if not. I don’t keep a strict amount of lines for each day–I just fill in each one as I go along.

extras

A bullet journal can be more than a planner and to-do list! You can also add less frequently used pages to keep track of anything and everything you want. I kept my extras to a minimum this year. Mainly, I made pages of books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, future blog post ideas, and a few other topics.

(here’s proof that your journal doesn’t have to be perfect–you can see the whiteout in the header. xD)
(whatever you can read here is probably incomprehensible.
looks like I was keeping track of tv episodes too)
(spoiler alert!)

some tips and tricks

  • I’m quite pleased that I managed to keep up this new habit of bullet journaling for a whole year! For me, the trick was to keep the notebook and pens/pencils right next to my bed so that it was one of the last things I’d see every day. It reminds to me to write in it every night.
  • Track what’s important to you. This applies to the whole concept, not just habit trackers. If all you want to write in your calendars are appointments and big events that you absolutely should not forget, fine. If you want to go into great detail and schedule in little everyday activities, that’s also fine.
  • Don’t be afraid to change it up. I did stick to pretty much the same format throughout, but with my experimental journal in 2016, I tried a bunch of things to see what I liked.
  • Make it pretty if you like, but don’t feel like you have to.
  • Make it functional. You can create top-notch aesthetics, but if your bullet journal isn’t useful in some way, you may as well call it an art journal.
  • You do you. Yep, I’ve said it about a hundred times in this post already, but if you’re going to use a bullet journal, set it up in a way that works for you. What’s your schedule like? How much time do you want to spend on this every day? What’s the best time of day to use your bullet journal? What are your primary reasons for using it in the first place?
  • Think outside the box! You could borrow the bullet journal format for something that’s not a planner at all–it could be used for a writing journal, a notebook of strictly to-do lists, a collection of ideas, an address book, a homework organizer, whatever!

and that’s it.

Thanks for coming along for the tour! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a little tool I use to manage life.

Now tell me, wayfarers: do you use a bullet journal? (If yes, let’s hear your own tips and tricks!) Are you thinking of trying it out? How do you keep your time and projects organized? And honestly–am I the only one who likes lists so much that I put down already-accomplished things, just for the satisfaction of checking them off?? Come on, ‘fess up.

Strangest Browser Searches Tag

Way back in the days of cave paintings and sabre-toothed tigers (ahem, last July) Madeline J. Rose tagged me with a thingamajig of her own creation, the Strangest Browser Searches tag! It’s so fun when blogger friends make up their own tags, isn’t it? And this particular tag is pretty entertaining too.

The rules:

  • Get access to your browser history, and look through it
  • Pick at least 5 of the strangest searches you’ve had to look up as a writer
  • List them below with a short explanation as to why exactly you had to look them up
  • Tag 2-5 other bloggers

I apologize in advance–due to my slow writing lately, most of my Google searches were boring things like “how to calculate equal payments” (for math class) and “what is a contra account” (for accounting class) and “who retains rights in traditional publishing” (for a paper I wrote in business communication class). I dug through THREE MONTHS of history for these, guys, and most of them aren’t even that spectacular.

If you don’t have anything better to do with the next three minutes of your life, read on!

Note: they’re almost all related to my Snow White retelling, so perhaps you’ll glean some interesting tidbits of previously undisclosed knowledge. Or just random trivia, but pffft, what’s the difference?

snow white original version

I looked this up because it’s been a long time since I read the real thing, and I always go back to the source material before writing a retelling.

list of cold words

Snow. Frost. Shiver. Ice. Blizzard. Wow, what a great list. I must’ve been in a writing slump if I needed synonyms for cold.

norse mythical creatures

I found me a fearsome lindwyrm, thanks to this search!

how big is a hamlet

I don’t remember the answer, but Skadi’s home (in my inconsistent first draft of Snow White) goes back and forth between a hamlet and a village, so . . . methinks the research wasn’t very effective.

how to skin a rabbit

I found some kind of hunting website and actually scrolled through bloody pictures of every step in the rabbit-skinning process. Be very proud of me.

scandinavian sailing medieval times / medieval animal skin canoes

Skadi paddles around a fjord while thinking gloomy thoughts, so I wanted to be able to visualize her vessel.

mbti and guilt

Because Skadi wrestles with more than her fair share of guilt, and I wanted to see how her personality type deals with it. (What is her personality type again? I forgot.)

how long should a chapter be in a ya novel

Short answer: nobody knows! Suggestion: 2500-5000 words.

how serious is a wound to the side

Because what would a fantasy novella be without a stabbing?!

do big five publishers accept christian manuscripts

I don’t think I dug deep enough to find the answer, but I think I was contemplating the great big world of publishing that day, and simply looked this up out of curiosity.

tips for fast signature

You should see the margins of some of my notebooks, or the scrap paper I used for math equations back in high school–I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve practiced my signature for future book signings. Still not happy with it, and still wondering if I should change the style of it so that it’s different from what I use to sign important documents. o_O But on another note, HOW do authors manage to sign hundreds of books in an hour?

lies characters believe

I remembered reading a couple of blog posts on the subject, but didn’t know where they were, so I searched them down again to help develop Skadi’s inner conflict.

meaning of Skadi / Wilhelmina name origin

Meaningful names are important to me! I love hiding symbolism in my stories–it’s just another secret that only I know. That is, until I blog about it or until sharp-eyed readers pick up on it. But half of the fun of these secrets is divulging them, so I don’t mind. Anyway, Skadi is my Snow White character, and her name belongs to a Norse goddess of winter and archery! Wilhelmina is a German name meaning willing to protect; it fits pretty well with a secondary character who’s come up in two of my stories, yet has never been “on screen.”

aurora winter bird lyrics

I’m pretty sure it was Katie Grace who introduced me to AURORA, a young Norwegian singer with an ethereal voice and songs that inspire my writer brain. This particular song, Winter Bird, reminds me of my Snow White story!

sinew bowstrings

Skadi is an archer (and no, I shan’t apologize for using that cliché), so I took some time to research more primitive forms of bows and arrows. I also needed to know what kind of bowstring she’d likely have access to . . . and what kind of bowstring might snap under extreme heat. *insert malicious smile*

why don’t i like my protagonist

You’ve heard me grouse about that issue more than once here, so I won’t go over it again! Since reading over my novella, I think much of my problem was imagined/the result of less-than-ideal writing circumstances, so hopefully whatever small issues are left can be corrected when I edit.

other odd things I’ve researched in times gone by:

This was YEARS ago, but one time I spent an afternoon performing mathematical equations for my dragon novel, The Prophet’s Quest. Two characters are given special seeds they’re instructed to plant in a long, continuous line across one corner of the country, and it occurred to me about five million drafts later that I’d never actually figured out how many seeds they would need. So I:

  • guesstimated the size of said fantasy country by comparing it to real life Britain or something like that
  • decided how long dragon’s tails are (because the dragons are told to plant the seeds one dragon tail-length apart)
  • calculated how many dragon tails it would take to stretch across the section of land I’d drawn out . . .
  • . . . which equals how many seeds are needed
  • then I figured that the seeds were about the size of kidney beans
  • so I went to the kitchen and counted out how many kidney beans fill one measuring cup
  • converted cups to gallons
  • estimated how many gallons of seeds each dragon could carry
  • realized they needed A LOT OF HELP to transport all these seeds
  • and so I invented a species of birds called seolfor that could each carry a gallon’s worth of seeds, and threw a whole flock of them into the story to solve the problem
  • WHEW.

And of course I’ve researched other, more typical writerly things like:

  • gunshot wounds
  • types of guns
  • types of swords
  • infection
  • injuries
  • facial burn scars
  • healing herbs
  • how far a human can walk in a day
  • how far a horse can run in a day
  • how long a person can survive without food/water
  • how far a league is (because there’s no better way to jerk a reader out of your epic high fantasy story than to have the king say, “I shall travel thirteen miles to thy secret abode of magical trees,” so leagues it is)
  • old cars from the 90’s most likely to have engine trouble
  • blood types
  • what happens when you get a blood transfusion of the wrong type (bad stuff, okay)
  • how long it takes to fly to _____
  • how far a Beaver plane can fly on one tank of fuel
  • how many people can a dragon carry if they’re about four or five times the size of a horse
  • how would a psychologist diagnose a kid who says he was a hero and fought battles on another bacon-flipping WORLD (answer: he’s schizophrenic or has delusions of grandeur)
  • ETC.

In short, the life of a writer involves many questions. Sometimes Google has the answers, sometimes not. I used to think that writing fantasy was a good way to avoid research, but HA, I’ve never been more wrong! At least I get to research pretty cool stuff this way.

(Sorry, I’ve run out of time to tag anyone today, since I have to run off to work, but if you like this tag, by all means snatch it!)

What’s the weirdest thing YOU have ever researched, in the name of writing or not?