Across Maps and Worlds
Besnowed has a new home and Rhean has a new map
Hey! Where is the farthest you’ve ever sent something?
Maybe across an ocean or a continent? Maybe across the country? I believe until recently, I would have counted the Pacific Ocean as the largest postal wall I’ve ever scaled.
Never mind the stamps and the addresses, I enjoy examining the cognitive barrier to such far distances. I think we sometimes struggle to realize that there are people living everyday lives everywhere at all times.
We are all crawling across this earth, making trips to the local post office to pick up another package.
Antarctic Library
In a long shot idea, I worked with my sister to send a copy of Besnowed to Antarctica. Specifically, McMurdo Station on Ross Island.
It took more than one try, but after getting in contact with someone at the station, my book is really there!
A bit far from Base Primavera or Vinson Manif, but it’s Antarctica—and it included free shipping!
In the latest update from Jake, Besnowed is officially a part of their local library.
It may not be worth much, but I think it’s amazing to see my book—my story—in this new home.
Odd Orientation
Rather than sending books far and wide, most of my mind has been preoccupied with writing my new story Rhean.
Of the countless problems looking for solutions, one of the more solvable and interesting ones was how it would fit into Maneus. I already had a map and a world and if this was going to take place in the same setting, I couldn’t just massively change the geography.
My goal was to make the unknown sections of the known continent feel more alive without contradicting anything.
So, let’s look at the map, because that’s where I started.
I immediately honed in on the idea of a journey, and with just a quick glance, it was obvious where Rhean would end up traveling.
Along the coast to explore some of the details in those unexplored lands.
A way to flesh out not only the map, but also the people and the world as a whole. I believe that adds weight to the price paid for salvation in Maneus as well.
Ever the convoluted contrarian, I didn’t want my cartographic explanation to be immediately obvious. With a simple twist, shifting the perspective 90 degrees, the new map looks both decidedly different and deceitfully disorientating.
Even with familiar names and landmarks, it takes a keen eye to notice the direction pointing North.
New Directions
I have also been more than a bit surprised by how much not having the Buildspace hype all around affected my motivation. Not exactly writer’s block, but definitely some kind of inability to buy my usual creative ticket to the last page of the book.
Rather than wallow in that, I’m taking the process a bit slower this time. I’m also notably jumping around sections a lot more—something that will likely result in a much more consistent style and structure.
That’s okay and if at worst that means I finish the first draft a little later than I originally anticipated, I don’t think that’s much of a worry at all.
Other than that, I have also tried to get in contact with someone at CERN, thinking I could mimic my Antarctic success with a copy of Revification.
Although I’ve yet to have any bites yet!
Until next time.
Cheers,
JMB