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:
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
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.
One of the characters in my book is a black belt. Her whole body is her weapon.
Nana Prah
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.
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...!
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.
Creating weapons was the fun part. Still fancy the disrupters in my first book.
Weapons that are pulled out of one's mind are the best. But when all else fails a gun can do
Good food for thought when world building. :-) It is fun to create things, ideas, and methods. History can certainly inspire...
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:)
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!
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. ;)
Does my metric bake scale count as a weapon?
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.
Now if you could use the waste as a weapon…ew, gross! :)
I'd say the only weapons in my books are "words." Words can be pretty powerful, though!
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.
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
Great things to think about, as usual, Sue. Awesome post!
Waste disposal IS an unusual one. Great question, though!!
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.
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
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.... :)
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