  Action/Adventure
This week: The Bucket List Edited by: Leger~  
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This week's Action / Adventure Editor
Leger~ |
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The Bucket List
The Bucket List was a 2007 movie about two terminally ill men who meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. They become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. One of them starts writing a "bucket list", things he wants to do before he "kicks the bucket". The two embark on a worldwide road trip to accomplish the list. The last item on the list, "witness something truly majestic" is crossed off when the friends' ashes are set together at the top of the Himalayas.
What are some of the things you would like to accomplish in your lifetime? Write a bucket list. The wishes don't have to be grand, but things you always wished to do. Some things, especially in a bad economy, aren't affordable. It doesn't matter, put them on the list. Give yourself some time to develop that list.
Then take a look at your wishes. What steps could you take toward accomplishing your wishes? One of mine would be to photograph eagles over the Rocky Mountains. Since I don't have a trip scheduled there, what steps can I take toward that goal? I can study eagle behavior and migration to learn when would be the time plan a trip. I could practice photographing raptors in my area. (Photographing a small wheeling bird in the sky is hard!) Taking small steps toward accomplishing a goal helps me learn more about how to get to that final destination.
Do you have a list? Doing research can be fun if the subject is something you're interested in. Writing about a subject you're interested in can be a thrill also. An ex-military author could write about the battles he's witnessed, not just the CNN version of the story, but also all the nuances of the background that others may not know. A mountain climber could write about a Kilamanjaro climb. Not only with Time-Life photos, but about the fundraising and effort before the climb. Always wanted to sleep in an igloo? Research what kinds of snow or ice make the best igloos, what the construction demands and how you stay warm in it all night.
Learning something new with research can enhance your story and make it come alive. Write on!
This month's question: Do you research for your action / adventure stories?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below  Editors love feedback! 
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Excerpt: The ocean rolled and swelled through the Aleutian Islands and warned of the approaching storm. Herra scanned the horizon for the tall, dark fins -- the killers. This was her third litter, and even though still young herself, she had no surviving family. She checked her two pups, Wanaga and Kon, as they played in the water directly in front of her. Then she lowered her head for a moment to clean her belly.
The ocean exploded.
Excerpt: “I’m the King of the world!”
After screaming that claim as loud as he could, Ken looked around, a smug smile on his face. His tanned features revealed a rugged yet soft look. His jet black hair was blowing in the wind at the top of this mountain. He felt good, he’d trained for months to complete this climb, and knew it was quite an achievement. Okay, he hadn’t climbed the Matterhorn or Mt. Everest, but this minor unnamed peak was his first conquest.
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Excerpt: "Turn that damn alarm clock off!" my wife shouted. "Unlike you, I have important things to do and need my sleep."
Only half awake, I swung my hand at the clock and succeeded in knocking it from the nightstand to the floor, where it continued its incessant buzzing. Leaving it on and letting it buzz itself to death seemed like a good idea until the elbow in the ribs. My left arm slipped off the bed and groped around the floor, hoping to silence the thing before a more powerful jab was sent my way. The off button was pushed as my spouse brought her arm up to poke me again. I watched the arm in the air and breathed a sigh of relief as it fell back to the sheets.
Excerpt: On December 3rd all the elves were busy in the workshop building toys, bicycles and dolls for Santa to deliver on Christmas Eve. Everyone had a special job to do except for the little Pixie named Maxwell. He was dressed head to toe in a red felt jumpsuit. He loved to play pranks on the elves moving their tools to different benches. The elves had grown tired of Maxwell's foolishness ordering him to leave the workshop.
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Excerpt: During the Napoleonic age, in a small village in the Ukraine near the Volga River, a child was born into a peasant family. The absolute poverty prevalent in Demitri's village assured he would never achieve any great status, outside of being a poor peasant. By the very nature of his position any possibility for glory was foreign to him. Peasant life was devoid the type of glory sought by young men of privilege. Nevertheless, glory was Demitri's goal. With glory he could establish real status in the community. With glory he could be someone--someone who was respected. With glory he could sway the heart of Katrina, the most beautiful woman he had ever known.
Excerpt: Plink, plink, plink! Spikes of translucent steel grey fluid popped from the shiny puddle-filled road top. Plink, plink. Plink. I watched, seeing a similar scene play out in my mind on a lake. Little ringlets of water cascaded outward to meet each other as fish broke the surface of that lake at twilight. It was dinner time and they were hungry.
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This month's question: Do you research for your action / adventure stories?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below Editors love feedback!
Last issue's question: What great descriptive phrases have you written or read?
How do you use description in your writing?
Elfin Dragon-finally published  replied: Sometimes my best ideas come during NaPoWriMo. And poetry, especially with shorter verses, you end up with several good or great descriptive phrases. One of my favorite for this year was | | | Invalid Item
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I hope you like it too. 
Cubby  answered: I recently listened to the audiobook, "Middlesex" by Jeffery Eugenides. I was mesmerized by his descriptions. A few examples:
“When I think back about my immediate reaction to that redhead girl, it seems to spring from an appreciation of natural beauty. I mean the heart pleasure you get from looking at speckled leaves or the palimpsested bark of plane trees in Provence. There was something richly appealing to her color combination, the ginger snaps floating in the milk-white skin, the golden highlights in the strawberry hair. it was like autumn, looking at her. It was like driving up north to see the colors.”
― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
“I went into the desert to forget about you. But the sand was the color of your hair. The desert sky was the color of your eyes. There was nowhere I could go that wouldn't be you.”
― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
“Dr. Philbosian smelled like an old couch, of hair oil and spilled soup, of unscheduled naps.”
― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
“I remember the first time we took off our clothes in front of each other. It was like unwinding bandages. I was as much of a man as Olivia could bear at that point. I was her starter kit.”
― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
As you can see, his descriptions captivated me. The contents itself was a little uncomfortable here and there, but it pulled me through with my eyes wide open. I highly recommend the audio, though it's not for everyone. It was not only a learning experience about things I never knew, but also a lesson in creative writing.
~Cubby
Quick-Quill  sent: A book that is an amazing work in translation to English is Shadows in the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. His works are a wonder of description.
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Action/Adventure: December 09, 2015 Issue [#7367]
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