Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Where I got my world building ideas for Bandits



I've been in Hawaii for 2 weeks. A revisiting of the place I first got the idea for the world I would build for Bandits. Of course I morphed it up a bit, but I gotta tell you Hawaii is right here on Earth and is....in a word, amazing!

SOMETHINGS I HAD TO SEE TO BELIEVE

The green sand beach. See the picture above. That is it and I actually four wheel drove there with my husband, oldest son and friends.

The black sand beaches. I had a huge turtle walk up right next to me on this beach. The water was clear and warm.

Cliff diving - my son and his friend actually did this and it was just the most awesome thing I've ever seen.

Waipio Valley, is just like being in paradise. Waterfalls, black sand beach, plush surroundings that smell like sweet flowers. A horse actually came up to our car, looked at us then veered into the brush.

The Road to Hana, the most beautiful drive (besides the one we took to the Florida Keys) that revealed more beauty than is imaginable with each curve. This was the most curvy road I've ever in my life traveled.

Volcano National Park, when we came here 3 years ago we were actually able to see Lava flow - do you believe that! It was ...like wow! and if you read Bandits, you'll know that's where I morphed Daniel's family trove from.

Mauna Loa, the observatory where the telescopes stand above the clouds was another beautiful tidbit I used in my world building. Although not in this version of Bandits, stay tuned for more.

WHAT THINGS HAVE YOU SEEN THAT HAVE BEEN USED IN YOUR WORLD BUILDING or DAY DREAMING?

5 comments:

Kelly Hashway said...

Having recently finished reading Bandits, this is awesome to see. I can see how you took these things and adapted them for the story. Great job!

By the way, if anyone hasn't read Bandits, check it out. I'm not big into Sci-fi but this book kept my attention from start to finish. Great read!

Catherine Stine said...

Wow, I would love to travel to Hawaii for some serious world-building inspiration!

Emilia Quill said...

The field and small woods down the road and the bays that's a kilomettre away. I walk twice a week to either location for exercise and to get a better view of my WIP's world. They're not the most exciting places if you visit only once. Each time I've visited the woods I've noticed a new detail, like a steep cliff face or huge rocks moved by the ice age. I recently found some wild strawberries which were so cute (and probably a bit toxic) so I lef them there.

My boyfriends parents always rent a cottage for St.Johannes, I've tagged alone twice now and each time we've stayed near a beautiful lake. This years stay inspired me to add a pond, on one side a humorous scene happens concerning a woman who thinks she's mermaid and her water-rescue dog.

A third place which inspires me are the sheer cliffs of North Tenerife. My mother took me and little brother there when she could afford. Every evening I wanted ice-cream and to watch the waves crash into the steep cliff face with furor.
My other WIP takes place near the sea. The protagonist goes to sing on a cliff jutting out the ocean.

The picture looks awesom! I live on the other side of the world, but I'd love to see green beaches and Kilauea erupting.

LM Preston said...

:-D stay tuned for more pics thanks for sharing your inspiration for world building

Katrina said...

My little hometown inspires me every time I step into it. We have pine trees and mountains, so the world FEELS archaic when you're in the middle of the trees.

I LOVED Scotland. That place has seriously given me a serious world-building experience! I'm hoping to go to Rome next, and see what story emerges from there. :)