Saturday, April 26, 2014

W: A to Z Blogging Challenge


Welcome to another day in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Find the entire list here. My theme this year is world-building. Mostly I’m asking questions that I believe need to be considered whether you creating a medieval fantasy world, a science fiction story or even a contemporary novel. The ideas I present aren’t in a particular order as I had to fit them into the alphabetical order needed. And don’t forget to visit the other blog I’m part of during the A to Z Challenge over at the IWSG. Now onto your world.
What weapons are in your world? Photon torpedoes? Swords of steel? Guns? Spears? Magical weapons? Biological and chemical weapons? Is everyone permitted to have a weapon? Are some weapons only for chosen people? What are the defenses against weapons? Are there weapons for warfare like trebuchets? Is one of your characters a living weapon? So many possibilities.

Few books ever mention it, but how does your society handle waste disposal? Are there sewers beneath the city where people can hide or get up to mischief? Is there a stinky moat surrounding the city? Is there a city dump where orphans and the other destitute grub for survival? Do space travelers dispose of their garbage in the black nothingness?

Do you have a favorite weapon to write about? Do you include waste disposal in your story?

23 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - weapons have varied so much over the centuries .. and now open up ever more questionable drugs etc ... I think I'd rather fight against a sword?

Re waste disposal - the science archaeologists are discovering so much from the ancient burial sites, or from ditches - where material has been preserved in the clays under London, or even Pompeii - that was an event of exciting proportions to this day .. as we keep finding things ...

So much is still possible - today's waste? and the toxins .. is not an easy thought in this country, or particularly in poverty countries of Africa and Asia ..

Good thought though - Hilary

Frankie Miller said...

Hi Susan - weapons terrify me. We have lots of illegal guns and even hand-grenades in the UK. There's no way to defend ourselves.
We need more and larger sewers, too. There's always a chance of evil taking place there - plenty here to imagine and consider for novelists.

Nana Prah said...

One of the characters in my book is a black belt. Her whole body is her weapon.
Nana Prah

Robin said...

Weapons and waste. Hahahaha. Yeah, I can't think of many stories that mentioned waste disposal... but it can be an issue in a dystopian or fantasy tale.

Trisha said...

My world has different weapons depending on where the characters reside. Some are spear warriors, others more bows & arrows/swords, etc.. And then there's magic...!

Kristin said...

As I'm in the real world of the past, usually I deal with handguns. Several family members were killed by handguns or killed someone with them.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Creating weapons was the fun part. Still fancy the disrupters in my first book.

Pat Hatt said...

Weapons that are pulled out of one's mind are the best. But when all else fails a gun can do

Teresa Cypher said...

Good food for thought when world building. :-) It is fun to create things, ideas, and methods. History can certainly inspire...

Birgit said...

I would love to have lasers as a weapon and maybe a being that kill with a thought (I took that from a Star Trek episode-a really great one). Never thought of waste disposal...could be the stench-Peeee-Uuuu:)

Michael Di Gesu said...

HI, Susan...

Weapons can play such an important part in a novel.

In my first book I went with a classic... Bow and arrow. Along with a few unusual weapons such as rocks and baseballs... Yup, baseballs.

Waste... interesting... never thought about that subject to include in my novels.

Happy Weekend.... Just THREE MORE POSTS...YAY!

Chrys Fey said...

Waste disposal! That's a good one. I'm going to have to figure out how the people in my world deal with waste and try to find some way to slip that into my story.

I have had a lot of fun creating weapons in several of my stories. ;)

The Happy Whisk said...

Does my metric bake scale count as a weapon?

cleemckenzie said...

None of my books have weapons. I do mention recycling bins in one story. Haven't thought of these two parts of a world much.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Now if you could use the waste as a weapon…ew, gross! :)

Stephanie Faris said...

I'd say the only weapons in my books are "words." Words can be pretty powerful, though!

LD Masterson said...

Okay, I'll admit it. I've given lots of thoght to weapons but almost none to waste disposal (maybe a stray dumpster here and there). You've given me some ideas. Thanks.

Arlee Bird said...

Weapons is a good one, but waste disposal is excellent. We often don't even think much about this in our real world let alone imaginary worlds. Many good scenes have played out in sewers. Just the other day I was dwelling on waste disposal in space. I'm not sure why I was thinking about this, but it must have been something I'd seen on TV.

Lee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog

Ava Quinn said...

Great things to think about, as usual, Sue. Awesome post!

Liz Blocker said...

Waste disposal IS an unusual one. Great question, though!!

kjmckendry said...

Those are great questions. I'm actually trying to figure this out for my novel. I'm not sure if I should go with medieval style weapons or new tech.

Unknown said...

Biological weapons and chemical weapons cause a dangerous affect to people that are exposed to it and the effects can certainly persist for a whole lifetime and may affect the subsequent generation. These are weapons of mass destruction and should be ban.
___________
Massachusetts firearms safety course

Elise Fallson said...

I'm slowly going through your old A-Z posts, which already has some great advice and things for me to think about. Weapons are a big one for me because the world I'm writing about is technologically advanced and weapons and other computer gadgets play an important role in the story. Oh I hope I don't screw this up.... :)