Thursday, April 24, 2014

A to Z Challenge: U is for Unknown

This year, I'm participating in the insane awesome A to Z blogging challenge, which entails posting EVERY SINGLE DAY during the month of April, except for Sundays. Each day's theme corresponds to a different day of the alphabet: 26 days, 26 posts. I'll be blogging each day this month on some aspect of my current work in progress (WIP).

U is for Unknown

Confession time: I was totally going to fudge the letter 'U' today, and make today's topic 'Ugh, Research', which, yes, would definitely have been cheating. But, if it counts, I didn't do it! My conscience got the better of me.

Instead, I'm going to be honest and talk about what I don't know. No, not the unknown unknowns, but the known unknowns. I've spent all of the letters up until now posting about the characters and settings and themes in my WIP that I've explored, and at least started researching. Today, I'm going to talk about the one that I haven't.

You may have noticed that I keep saying that there are going to be six lifetimes for my two souls in this book, but I've really only talked about four of them: Ancient Greece, Tibet, India, and modern Australia. That's because of the other two, one - near-future London - is only hazily sketched out, and the other - pre-Columbus South America - is a big, fat I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA. At least for London, I know who the two characters are, and how their love affair is going to take shape (the you're the last person I'd ever love plot is going to be featured pretty heavily there). South America? Nada. Zip. Zilch. All I have is a brainstorming scene I wrote months ago, and the vague idea that it's going to involve a nomad shaman who's the last remaining member of her tribe, and the young chief of a new tribe she encounters in her travels.

Which is to say, I really don't know what the heck I'm doing. South America is my giant Unknown. And that's OK, because eventually I'll start doing research and finding the story, but, well, it's just gonna be mostly left out of this particular A to Z Challenge.

Just for fun, here's the beginning of that brainstorming scene I wrote, months and months ago (and no, I'm not posting the whole thing, because a) it's too long, and b) it's literally full to the brim of stuff I just completely made up, with notes everywhere saying "research this"). This is it, guys; this is all I've got for South America, for now. I can pretty much promise that all of this, including the name, is going to change:
The rushes feel hard and cold under her skin. She presses her face into Nahuel's back and breathes in the smell of him: salt and fur, rain, and the cool edge of something metallic; all together she imagines his smell as dark, rich brown, like the earth of her childhood after a long spring soaking. The earth here is different. Dry; red; parched. Even the air feels cracked and arid, and she is never sure she isn't thirsty, no matter how much water she drinks.  
She is already wrapped around him, her breasts to his back, her knees tucked in the curl of his thighs, and her arm pressed as far around the flat planes of his stomach as possible, but she moves closer, as close as possible, and he shifts a little in his sleep. She freezes, holds her breath, until he settles against her again. Then she relaxes, just for a moment, she tells herself, and breathes him into her, again, again, over and over.

20 comments:

  1. I love, love love that excerpt, Liz! Especially the description of her moving closer to him. There's such troubled emotion pouring out of your words, and your words are quite powerful here. Nicely done!!

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  2. I like that. Unknown. U was one of the tougher letters...I have a feeling we're going to be losing what few people are left in this challenge during the U phase...because coming up are X and Z--two very challenging letters!

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  3. I know someone who could help you with South America depending on your setting.

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  4. What a hot scene-very sensual. I watched a documentary, the other day, on the legend of El Dorado and how the Spanish basically obliterated this one tribe as they felt they had tons of gold. It was found they had precious salt and traded the salt for gold and then gave the gold to the Gods as offerings for the gods giving them the salt. It was sad to know they disappeared mainly from small pox, other diseases and being killed by the Spanish. There were some Conquistadors who decided to live with them and, because their life was much healthier way, these spaniards lived a long time

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  5. Stepping into that great unknown is where it gets exciting. :)

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  6. This was one of my favorites, Liz. And it's in it's brainstorming phase? Well done! I can feel the passion, the heat (couldn't help it) between these two. Kudos.

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  7. I loved the excerpt! So impressed that this was just brainstorming. You may not know where it is going in South America but it's clear you are off to a great start.

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  8. Mmm. I think the unknown is the fun aspect of any project, where the characters and plot get to take you by surprise. Granted, it can also be the most frustrating aspect of a draft, but you need extremes to enjoy the high afterwards, eh?

    True Heroes from A to Z

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  9. Where in pre-Columbus South America? That's a lot of territory, and there are so many different cultures . . .

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  10. But discovering the things you don't know is half the fun, right? :)

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  11. I like the visceral feel of the excerpt. Unknowns are fun. That's why I enjoy pantsing so much!

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  12. I think you really love research so you're probably glad you still have some unknown to fill in.

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  13. My husband is a big spooner while sleeping. I don't mind if for awhile, and then I get hot and have to peel him offa me. lol

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  14. It's a good start. Once you do your research, you'll have a lot to flesh it out with :)

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  15. I think unknowns are fine. I have found if I do too much research, I have a tendency to want to drop trivia tidbits in. I find it better to write the story and then research filling in the blanks and polishing up the scenes.

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  16. Hey, all the others were unknowns too until you started working on them, right? And you've got quite a compelling start here.

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  17. Now you owe us a post about all the fantastic tidbits you discover AFTER your South America research. My advice - start with the art.

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