The best and worst part about being snowed-in is that you get a lot of free time on your hands. It's good because you can play video games, draw, read, or simply catch up on a lot of missed sleep. It's bad because you cannot get out due to the fact that the road is covered in enough snow and ice to sink the Titanic. Luckily, I put my time to good use by working on the setting of "Fionnuala."
Creating settings has always been one of my least favorite parts of writing. I love developing characters, weaving plots and subplots together and creating witty and spunky dialogue, but for me, describing what things look like is simply dull. After all, if there are swordfights, spellcasting duels, and death-defying escapes, who cares what the trees look like? I usually skim over those parts in the books that I read and if a book has too much description (such as "Titus Groan", in which there are basically four or five paragraphs of description per line of dialogue) I stop reading entirely. That being said, I want my readers to have a clear picture of the nation of Yangvaad, where Sandra's adventures take place, so I decided to come up with a fun way to do it: drawing! I sketched out maps of the region of the country where the story takes place and then created floor plans of the primary setting of Part I. Not only was it a great way to unwind after shoveling mountains of snow twice within a week, but it also gave me a clearer picture (only throw ripe tomatoes at me for the pun, please) of where the key events of my novel take place.
That's it for now. Until next time, transcend reality and find the truth!
