I Really Know How to Make Life Difficult

shlomi on April 22, 2012

In reading a bunch of space opera and humor/horror books lately (yes, it’s procrastination under guise of research), I’m realizing how difficult I make my writing life. My characters aren’t in a soap opera, they’re doing an ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ reshoot. In Induction, my main character goes through:

  • El Paso
  • Parts of New Mexico
  • Odessa, TX
  • Shep, TX
  • San Angelo, TX
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Parts of Oregon
  • Tacoma and parts of Washington
  • At sea
  • Towns in Russia
  • More at sea

Multiple descriptions of places throughout. My character would have to have an accompanying travelogue for the novel to be vividly visually described (I like the writing, it’s very readable, go buy it!). It’s tough to situate a character in one place after another. The character doesn’t get to act as if they’re on their turf. The scene is a character, and how the humans interact with the scene is as much an expression of the people as their dialog.

So I’m going to write something (well, adapt an existing piece) with that in mind. And write with more luster, more… cowbell.