LTUE 32 - Writing Children - Thursday, 13th, 1:00pm

Welcome to the Peppermint House!

After my 3 day break, I'm presenting here a class called "Writing Children Characters" which gave a lot of insight, and help. I hope you're able to find it as helpful as I have.
If you ever have any questions, or would like anything explained in more depth, I'll be happy to oblige, just comment below!

The Panel included:
Patricia K. Castelli: (Couldn't Find Information)

Aaron Johnston: https://twitter.com/AaronWJohnston

Lehua Parker: https://twitter.com/LehuaParker

Tristi Pinkston: https://twitter.com/TristiPinkston

J. Scott Savage: https://twitter.com/jscottsavage

Sandra Tayler: https://twitter.com/SandraTayler

A lot of well known authors were on this panel, be sure to check them and their works out!

Writing Children Characters

When writing a child character, you have to keep in mind age sensitivity. Who is your audience?  Are you writing for other children, or are you writing for teenagers?  Remember to do your research, look up the developmental ages of the children you're writing for, and the child character that you're creating, and match them up.

If you're writing a picture book think about this: Picture books don't always only contain children, they

actually have a lot of adults! This is because young children look up to adults, they trust them and typically want to grow up to be like them.

Remember, write your child character for two ages older than you target audience so that they have something to look up to. A 12 year old isn't going to want to read about the problems of a 10 year old, and the so goes for the older teens as well.

You can write a book for adults through the eyes of a child, however, because once adults hit a certain age, we don't really have something we're looking “up” to, just whatever it is we're looking “forward” to.

*How do you write a child character in a 3^rd person point-of-view?

In a child's point of view, things around them are new. They find something new, learn something new every day. The things the learn and find are scary, different, and fresh. When writing in a 3^rd person point of view, remember that a child has a unique perspective. Almost as if they are unaware of what's really around them, because they learn from the permission of their parents, and peers.

With an adult it's different. We've learned so much we automatically thing, “I remember when this happened to/when...” As adults, we know how to problem solve, know where to go for solutions, etc. Children haven't learned that skill yet.

But 1^st person is most powerful when the child you're using has a unique view of the world. They see things differently, learn things differently.

It's incredibly difficult to write from the eyes of a child because they don't know what things are, or how to explain them.

*What's the difference between telling a story “to” kids, vs. telling a story “about” kids?

The greatest danger anyone can do, fictional or otherwise, is to underestimate a child. Children still think and strategize to the best of their ability, just like adults. And, if you have children of you're own, or watch children, you know just how well they do it.

They shouldn't be made to look like they can only do this, or that they can't/don't speak like that, etc. The solutions that they come up with may be silly, but they children do problems solve effectively.

*How do you write a child villain?

Unfortunately, Pre-School bullies, and middle school mean girls do exist.

When you have a child villain, remember that an emotional need of that child's isn't being met. The author needs to know why it's happening, what is happening, but depending on your audience, and your story, your audience may or may not need to know that child's situation.

The younger the child is, the more the world is about them:

Young Children: Talk in my's “My dog,” “I had to move.” etc.

Middle Grade Children: Talk in me and my's. “My friends and me.” Their answers are also more clear and precise.

Older: Doesn't matter. When older teens grow into adulthood, many problems become gray, sometimes there isn't a clear right, or wrong.

*Write a book that multiple audiences can enjoy!

“Sophisticated Child's Book” or “Smart-Middle Grade”

Just because they're children, doesn't mean they're stupid. Make them as smart as you are. Make sure that your secondary child characters don't become accessories to the main character, make sure they have something to do, make them help with the plot

*WHAT NOT TO DO!

DON'T make a child the “perfect little, sweet angel”!

• Children have personalities! 3 year old's are prone to argument, they like to push the boundaries. They can be sweet at times, but don't make them perfect!
• And make sure, in every book with a child in it, that you have consequences for their bad behavior. Make it real, don't water down your story. Parents get frustrated, children get frustrated, it's a fact of life.

DO make them unique!

• Not all children are all the same. THEY AREN'T THE SAME!
• Think about what drives your children characters, primary and secondary characters. Do you have jokers, smarts, adventurous, quiet? Just like adults, kids have motives, they have history, and they have PERSONALITY
• Give them some element of strength, whether it's emotional strength, physical, psychological, or strategical strength, give them something that they are good at!

Children that are grouped together create their own rules, their own language. Make them different, make them funny, make them smart.

*How do you write a child who's been taken from society?

Simply study Maslow's Pyramid of Needs, everything you'll ever need to know is right there!

Referenced Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs 

(All photo's belong to their respective owners, and are only being used for teaching purposes!)

Slower Than Light Travel - Life, The Universe, and Everything 32 - February 13th, Thursday, 12:00pm

Welcome to the Peppermint House!

Today we're going to be going over some science fiction possibilities! More specifically, traveling at a slower than light speed through paces. Ever thought about it? I certainly hadn't until I took this class, and it sure seems like a worthy possibility now. 

The Panel:

David Baxter: (Couldn't find any information)

Ami Chopine: https://twitter.com/amichopine

Emily Martha Sorensen: http://www.emilymarthasorensen.com/books.html

Brad R. Torgersen: http://www.bradrtorgersen.com/

A lot of these questions had been answered during the class, but some had not been entirely answered, so many of these answers are my own through my own research. Please enjoy! (Note: All photos belong to their owners, and are only being used for teaching purposes, THANK YOU!)

Don't forget to comment below! Like, and share!

Slower Than Light Travel

*"Ark" Ship

What is an “ark” ship? Remember Noah's ark? An ark ship is a type of ship that would take humans from earth out into space on a long journey, usually dealing with trying to find a “new home”. When dealing with slower than light travel, which is opposite of faster than light travel, you have a couple things that you need to think about as the author:

1. Food. Where is it coming from, will you have enough for everyone who's still awake, etc. When you're traveling slower than light, you're traveling for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
2. Supplies for repairs. Do you have everything you'll need to make repairs if necessary, how will you be able to cope if you run out of supplies, and so on. And finally,
3. Moral through the generations. If you have a ship full of people who aren't in cryo, how are you going to be able to keep the moral of those aboard at an acceptable high. What precautions are you going to take to keep everyone entertained?

*How is society going to work when you're traveling slower than light? How are the people on the ship going to work together?

Depends on whether or not you're going to be having your society in cryo sleep until the end of their journey, or if you're going to allow them to be awake, walking around the ship. From there, society is what you make it.

*How will the Earth, colonies, change between when the ship leaves it's home planet, and when it comes back, if it does?

When a ship leaves, and it's traveling slower than light travel, hundreds of year pass between when the leave, and when they return. Everything could have changed, and realistically everything should. Think about 100 years ago, our time. We don't speak the same way that our ancestors spoke. What about when Shakespeare was around, our language from then to now has DRASTICALLY changed. It's hard for many now to understand how he spoke then. Everything will have changed for your returning crew, everything from technology, to language. Realistically, your crew wouldn't be able to communicate with whoever is still alive on earth when they return.

Will there have been wars on their planet after they left? How about changes in government, trade, culture, technology, etc.

*Slower than light transportation (travel) vs. faster than light communication (instant communication). Would it be possible?

Scientifically speaking, yes, it would be possible. To come up with your own unique twist on it is the challenge. But, think of our world today. We have cell phones, and computers, and are able to communicate with someone on the other side of our planet almost instantaneously. Why not in space? You can be moving slower than light, but have instant communication.

*How would a person mature and grow up on a ship if they're alone, stuck at a slow speed?

Think about it. Nobody to personally communicate with, no one to interact with. How would a child grow up alone if it came to that? This is where you would have to do your research. Research child development. If a child is left alone, someone who hasn't learned a language properly, maybe never learned to read, and grew up entirely, completely alone, what age group would that be similar to? Maybe a 5 year old, maybe a little older. As this child grew up into an adult, completely alone, their social skills and intellect would stay as if they were a child with no way to learn, grow, or progress.

Doing your research is essential in all areas of writing. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

*What problems would happen because of your current speed? What would happen over time?

Naturally, over time stuff would break down, so you'd need someone who would be able to fix it when it did. There isn't a machine ever made that hasn't had to be fixed at some point in time, no matter how sturdy it is.

And, now that you've introduced a human who has the knowledge to fix these broken things, now you have to consider how he/she is going to be living. Will the ship wake him out of cryo when it breaks? Will they always be awake, keeping an eye on things, until the day the resurrect another human with the same knowledge, and die? How will they eat, sleep, entertain themselves?

You have to be realistic about your speed.

Having human stories at a slower than light speed can make a really incredible book, but it is also very hard, because faster than light travel is so convenient. But the human stories make it worth it.

You have to remember that once you start, you can't go back if you forget anything, or run out. What you have is what you get, and that's the end of it.

How many spare parts can you actually carry with you? How much fuel will you be able to have? Or, what other energy source keeps you moving?

What if the planet isn't exactly what your crew expected? It doesn't have the resources they thought it had, the planet is inhabited, what happens then? So many stories can come out of slower than light travel, there is so much possible, so much potential, but it's complexity makes it difficult.

On this new planet, what will the plants be like, or the proteins? How will they be different than our own? Will things cross-pollinate with the settlers plants? Will that ruin their food sources, or will it make things better?

*How will communications change over time?

If someone is isolated from their community for so long, after about 3 years the old community and the new community would not be able to communicate. They'd only be able to speak with others from their community. Language would change.

*Do we really need planets to live?

That is a question that you can answer...

*What if the planet you get to is already inhabited when you get there? What then?

It wasn't inhabited when you first looked, but now it is. They got their first. How would you be able to handle that situation?

You also have to think about what a human needs. We need oxygen, without it nothing is possible. You need oxygen to have water, to have food, to breath and survive. If you want to live on a planet with plants, you need to be sure that there is something already there breathing. Plants breath in what we as humans, and animals exhale, carbon dioxide, and they breath out oxygen. If you don't have something already breathing oxygen on the planets surface, then plants would be non-existent.

Also, you can't have a habitable planet without plate tectonics. Do your research. Find out what exactly humans need to survive, what exactly keeps a habitable world spinning, our world. How does it work?

*Faster than light observation abilities...

In many sci-fi shows, the people on the ship know something is going to happen before it actually happens, or they know just as it begins. Is that possible? Keep your observations within the realm of possibilities. Is there technology on the ship that constantly observes that outside space around you for anomalies? How does it work? Or, are all the observations solely made by the crew?

Remember, the minute that limit is placed on you, that is when the story really begins... 

LTUE32 - The Heroes Journey and the Virgin's Promise - 13th, Thursday, 11:00am

Welcome to the Peppermint House! 

Today I am providing the notes to something REALLY exciting. Every writer, or aspiring author, should at least recognize these steps, and know how to use them. To find the presentation give by: 

Deren Hansen: https://twitter.com/derenhansen

Please follow the links provided below! The presentation may, or may not, have more information. I was writing like a crazy person to get all these notes.

To find the presentation, visit: prezi.com/user/derenhansen
HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read: Character and Archetypes by Deren Hansen found on dunlithhill.com 

The Heroes Journey, and the Virgin's Promise

Archetypes: History vs. Myth

                       /                \

          Based on one       Isn't falsehood, it's based on history.

          time, in one             Based on many times, in many places.

          place.               

*Every person must make the journey from childhood to adult, which is what the Heroes Journey/Virgin's Promise are all about.

*Characters behave and change according to well understood patterns.

From Anthropology 101: We have HUNTERS and GATHERERS.

*The majority of human history is based on gender differences, or gender specific experiences. In a primitive society, we have hunters, who were typically men, who sacrificed their life to hunt for food, but was considered a “High Risk, High Reward” situation. A man could go out and return the hero, with a lot of meat for his society. Or he could go out, and never return, losing his life during his journey. On the other hand there were gatherers, typically women, who worked with the plants, gathering berries and other small amounts of food. This was considered a “Low Risk, Low Reward” situation. With the woman's food, the society would be able to survive for a short amount of time, but in the long run they would need to men to go out and hunt.

*The men typically had a social core and periphery that they needed to protect if they wanted to grow as a social family, and survive. (Definition of periphery: The edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area)

                                                    These are the Archetypes of Growth.

                  These aren't constraints on “how to write”, but melodies with which to improvise.

Remember, don't turn your female protagonist into a male. You can have your female do the Heroes Journey, but will she really go toe to toe with the bad guy? The Hero can do a journey similar to the Virgin's Promise (think of a prince who is restricted by his status, and he wants to break free), but don't turn him into a hero with boobs! :D

HEROES JOURNEY!

Generally turns out to be a cycle. Some versions claim to have 188 steps in the heroes journey, others argue that there are upwards of 510. We're going to go through a more simple version. The heroes journey we will be comparing has 11 steps. That will certainly be enough to get the point across!

The heroes journey begins in the ordinary world, wherever their ordinary world takes place. Where the hero comes from, and it quickly establishes what he's trying to protect. Whether he has family, or friends. But then something changes...

He gets “The Call to Adventure”.
Here the hero learns that something can change in his world, and it gets the hero moving. But...

The hero “Refuses the call”...
Recognizing that the adventure can be lethal, the hero tries to get out of it. This helps establish the stakes of the journey, were the hero to take it.

Noticing his refusal, enter “Meeting the Mentor”.
Hero is rescued, in some way, from his fears, or naivety, by someone who has done something similar to what this hero has been asked to do.

The hero then “Crosses the threshold”.
Passing “the point of no return”, the hero commits himself to the journey. He can't turn back now. Moving into the unknown, the hero quickly learns that he doesn't know how to behave outside his society.

But quickly the hero learns who his “Allies, and Enemies” are, and what his “Tests” will be.
His resolve is tested when they crossover from the known into the unknown.

“Approaching the Cave”
This is where the hero starts doing stuff. They previously learned about something that they need to do from “Tests”, and they do it. His mission changes.

“The Ordeal”
Here, the hero meets the bad guy, and he fully learns the scope of the problem. Unfortunately, it's far more than he had previously imagined. He loses allies, but he learns that he can survive. Here he “retrieves something”, gets a small reward for his hard work.

“The Road Back”
This is the road to the final confrontation. The hero makes a choice, knowing the peril to his own life, and goes back to it. He becomes someone who is willing to do what is necessary for a greater cause. Here he becomes the true hero.

Then “The Final Battle and Resurrection” happens.
Drawing on all his new found knowledge, and strength, he goes into the final battle, and WINS. He may have allies who help, or he may go at it alone. He is then resurrected when he draws on his inner strength and transcended who and what he was before he started this journey.

And, finally, they “Return Home”
It doesn't matter where this home is. It could be their old home that they left, or a new home that they fell in love with/adopted on their journey. Wherever it is, they return there, the hero.


VIRGIN'S PROMISE!

The Virgin's Promise here contains 12 steps. Let's take that virgin on her journey!

Here we find that the virgin in is stuck in her “Dependent World”.
She's dependent. Her society has already chosen her role in their society, and she depends on them for her survival. The Virgin's Promise starts more slowly than the Heroes Journey.
*The problem here is that the society has already chosen the virgin's role.

She learns, or already knows, “The Price of Conformity” to live in her society.
The price she has to pay to be a part of it, and the price she will pay if she doesn't comply to the role that the society has set upon her.

But she is given an “Opportunity to Shine”.
Here she discovers something she didn't know, or realizes something that she didn't know she could do. Sometimes someone will help her realize this.

So, the virgin “Dresses the Part”.
She tries out her new world, and successfully discovers and alternative to her current situation.

Now she has her “Secret World”.
Here, if someone finds her out she would collapse, and go back to her old world. She needs time to create a world, learn more, that will give her reason to want to stay later.

But she soon realizes that she “No Longer Fits Her World”.
She never set out to be a force of change, but the virgin tries to keep everyone happy. Not giving her secret away, she struggles between her two worlds. One that imprisons her, and the other of her own creation where she feels free. Growing confident in her own dream, she survives her struggle. Soon though, she can't keep her worlds separate...

She is now “Caught Shining”...
Someone catches her, and she can't pretend her worlds are compatible anymore. So she is forced to choose her new world by giving up the limitations her old world set on her. Sometimes she has to give up her old world entirely. (This picture doesn't really fit... but I couldn't resist ;D)

“Gives Up What kept her Stuck”
Here, she defines her established world. But...

“The Kingdom falls into Chaos” (her old world, whatever that may be)
The old world tries to make things go back to normal, after the virgin decides to give it up.

She “Wanders in the Wilderness” for some time.
Forced to be left alone, she begins to doubt everything that she just went through. The changes she just made. Begins to think “what choice do I have, but to go back”...

Something helps her “Choose Her Own Light”
And this is where she goes through her transformation. She can only be who she wants to be, not what they are trying to force her to be. She would “rather shine than be safe”.

“The Reordering/Rescue”
She has to show her community who she is, but she never wanted a direct confrontation. Sometimes she may need help from the hero to set something straight, BUT HE NEVER SAVES HER. For example: In Rapunzel, Flynn Ryder cuts Rapunzel's hair, freeing her from what was keeping her a slave to Gothal. Rapunzel couldn't cut her hair, she grew up being told it was a gift, it was something he lived with, but knowing she'd never be free until it was gone, risking his own life, he cut her hair. But he didn't save her, he simply did something she couldn't do. From here, the virgin makes her own choices.

And finally “The Kingdom is Brighter”!
Because the virgin successfully completed her challenge, and her conquered her consequences, the kingdom becomes a better place to be.

Remember, as a writer, all these points can failure points for your hero/virgin. But typically, this is the pattern.
Every story has a: beginning --- middle --- end
The hero/virgin can't find the solution in the beginning, can't find it in the middle. It's in the end that the hero/virgin will find the solution, and come out triumphant.

Simply put:
Act I : The Hero gets beaten up, the mentor helps him come out on top
Act II: The Hero gets beaten up again, this time he learns something from it.
Act III: He goes in by himself, comes out the victor!

Act I: The Virgin realizes that she has more to offer.
Act II: She gets caught, has to decide if she continues or not...
Act III: The Virgin asserts herself, and in the end that makes things better.

LTUE 32 - Monsters You've Never Heard Of class - Thursday, February 13th, 10:00am

Welcome to the Peppermint House!

Today's addition to Life, The Universe, and Everything comes from the class "Monsters You've Never Heard Of". Those included on the panel were:

Shirley Bahlmann: https://twitter.com/ShirleyBahlmann
Mikey Brooks: https://twitter.com/MIKEYBR00KS
Renee Collins: https://twitter.com/reneecollins_
Larry Correia: https://twitter.com/monsterhunter4
Andrea Pearson: https://twitter.com/andreapearson2
Robison Wells: https://twitter.com/robisonwells

The answers to the questions are thanks to these genius authors!

In almost every story there is a monster of some sort, how do we come up with these monsters? Here's one way authors do it!


LTUE 32 – Day 1 – 10:00am

Monsters You've Never Heard Of

*What's your favorite Hipster Monster?

(Not knowing what that meant exactly, this is what they had to say) Don't be scared or afraid to write about things that have already been used, vampires for example. Make it your own, it just takes some skill.

*What is your favorite underused mythology?

Mermaids. When researching mermaids from different cultures, from different fairy tales, you find that there are mermaids who cry tears of pearls, or mermaids whose tails change colors according to their mood, some really cool things. Research everything, from everywhere, and learn as much as you can.

Atlantis is one of my favorite myths, but monsters, I'd have to go with Nymphs. Nobody uses them, and they do some cool things, turning into plants, trees, other things.

My favorite monsters come from fairy tales that aren't western based: European, Japanese, Russian, Romanian, Chinese, Korean, Babylonian. So many different unused fairy tales, underutilized monsters. Just wiki “Monsters”, and entire lists come up. You'll never be able to go through the entire list in one sitting, in one day. There are so many!

Referenced Here: Monsters - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters
List of Fairy Tales - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fairy_tales

Also, wiki "Foreign Fairy Tales" at http://www.wikipedia.org/, other lists come up

*What are some good resources when researching Monsters?

-Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures

-List of Legendary Creatures on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legendary_creatures

-Adapt the legends to fit for your story, your purpose.

-Read some free eBooks on kindle by searching: Fairytales

Remember that monsters don't have to be living creatures. You can create a monster out of anything: Plants, Minerals, Aliens (humanoid, or non-humanoid), Things (Nouns), Animals, Make it up!

But also keep in mind that you should NOT use another persons creative intellect if they haven't been dead for a few decades. Example: You shouldn't use anything that Tolkien made up, or C.S. Lewis, or J.K. Rowling. Anything that was created from their imagination shouldn't be used in your personal works. Make sure to do your research so you don't get into any legal trouble!

*What are some Monsters people have never heard of that you've used, or liked?

The Tsuchigumo from Japanese folklore, which was said to appear to people with the "face of an oni, a body of a tiger, arms and legs of a spider, and wore giant outfits". 

A Pricolici from Romanian folklore, a werewolf/vampire mix.

The Tope Knight from one of the King Arthur and the round table legends. There was the black knight, the green knight, the red knight, other knights, and then randomly they had a tope knight... Why tope?

Zu, the japanese version of a griffin, takes the most noble of creatures, and puts them together. (I couldn't personally find any reference of said creature, so if you find it, let me know!)

*What is the line between keeping a monster a monster, and having it become “more human” - redeeming the monster?

     Any character can be a monster,

            any monster can be a character...

*What do you think is most effective in describing a monster that changes form?

Let details show your audience. Focus on the mental changes the character is going through, perhaps the physical changes depending on the situation. Sometimes having your readers imagination take over can help, but be careful doing that.

*What are some examples of "Mineral Monster"?

-Golems

-Moving rocks

-Volcanoes

*Final Words

Be sensitive to the cultures from which you get your "monsters". Some cultures don't see their creatures as monsters, but as religious figures. Keep things in reverence. You may tweak something if you're using it, keep similar elements, change it's name. 

LTUE 32 - Disease and Epidemics Class - Thursday, February 13th, 9:00am

Welcome to the Peppermint House!

Today I will be posting the notes from my Disease and Epidemics class that I took at the Life, The Universe, and Everything writers conference.

The class panel included Authors:
Daniel Coleman: https://twitter.com/dnlcoleman
Chersti Nieveen: https://twitter.com/chersti
Diann T. Read: https://twitter.com/DiannTRead
Johnny Worthen: https://twitter.com/JohnnyWorthen

Check them out, it was quite an entertaining, and intelligent panel.

The notes I took are a series of questions that they answered to help further the knowledge of those who attended. Enjoy!

LTUE 32 – Day 1 – 9:00am

Disease and Epidemics

*Why? Why are we, as humans, so enthralled with diseases that would wipe out an entire race of creatures?, 

First, we need to understand that most of these diseases, and epidemics, began small. Spreading from one person to another. Either through the touching of the same object, touching each other, or spreading it through coughing and sneezing, some ways new diseases may be recognized.

When writing a military novel, your main concerns are for your troops. If you're writing a historic military novel, you need to remember that the deaths aren't just about physical wounds, but also about death by illness, or inability to fight because they're sick. Before WWII, more troops died because of illnesses such as: Typhoid Fever, or Hepatitis, or biological warfare using Anthrax. They weren't dying as often from physical wounds, as they were from diseases.

A disease or epidemic IS NOT the apocalypse, or else you wouldn't have a story, but it is closely related. It's a dread or doom. They're insidious devices in our culture. Sometimes we know it's coming, and we get ready for the consequences, but most of the time we don't know. It acts like the hand of God, or hand of Fate. Picking off anyone and everyone, no one knows why some people die, and why others don't.

Even though now, in this day and age, we're in pretty good shape, we're still scared of these unseen, unpredictable, and unreasonable forces. Everyone, knowingly or not, is waiting for the next big illness.

Villains, on the other hand, are realistic, or insidious. But with a disease, you have something you can't see, something that you can't physically fight, something you can't punch in the face.

*What real diseases and epidemics make good fiction? How can you mix reality?

Read stories of survivors from the Black Plague. You'll see that it was a leveling device. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor, healthy or lame, it found everyone. It was around that time that the middle class was established, when kings were brought down because the peasants realized that they were human. The Black Plague brought everyone to a common level.

Make any disease you have created contagious, because that can be a rich form of characterization that you wouldn't otherwise be able use for something like a disease.

Historic Military – Dysentery killed more troops than combat did up until WWII and the Korean War. It wasn't a deliberate enemy attack, it was the situation they were living in, the primitive environment, the conditions, the water.

You also want to always consider the grievousphere when creating a disease. Those who will be affected, whether directly or indirectly. The family, the friends, your neighbors.

*How would you suggest approaching this genre in your own writing?

-Create a new twist, make it your own.

-Compare what your disease is similar to, do your research.

-Approach the topic in a new way.

*Natural disaster vs. disease as a weapon.

Disease is so personal. Many writers don't handle it right unless they've done their research. Where as natural disasters aren't as personal, it's all about numbers. How many people died, what was affected? If it's a disease you generally know someone involved, someone who's been infected. It's an unknown killer.

A disease versus natural disaster can be compared in the way it impacts the culture, and fear levels of those involved. Where natural disasters can be quick and sudden, and a society can be made ready for it to happen, an epidemic can happen slowly with no notice, and possibly not be stopped.

*What is the different between fiction and real life, and what is our responsibility as writers?

In real life, natural disasters can spawn illnesses that may have been kept dormant, and move illnesses from one area to another. Things like water contamination that is moved can trigger a wide spread disease.

An authors responsibility in handling a created disease or epidemic is to treat it with respect. If you've done your research, and you know that it's possible, you need to realize that it is literally a crime against humanity.

Diseases can be dropped into water supplies with warheads, creating massive areas of affect.

Much research can be seen in games, like Civilization. And history shows us that, before the whites landed and invaded the America's there were an estimated 100,000,000 natives living here. After a fairly short amount of time, 90% of the Native Americans had been killed because of diseases that the whites had brought with them.

Back around the 16^th century there was something called the “Little Ice Age”. When the plagues hit America, and killed millions of the native Americans that lived here, leaving land that used to be regularly tended, and taken care of, to sit and die. When that happened, among other areas freezing quickly because of their own “ice ages”, plants and trees were moved from the north, Canada, to America. When people die fast in an area, and it's not being taken care of, the environment will change.

Referenced Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age

*How do we as writers go about writing something like this?

Get your science right, read a lot about it! The signs and symptoms, can there be a cure? Are there people who could be naturally immune, find real stories.

Not every disease kills everyone. And figure out if it's the Antagonist, or if it's just the complication. When you make it up it turns into a character.

Remember, diseases and illnesses do not cross species very often. Do your research, find out if it can cross species. Making it a complication isn't a bad idea.

*Final words:

-Have fun! Torment your characters.

-Remember: BBC: The “golden age of antibiotics” is set to end here soon. Antibiotic diseases are becoming resistant to their medications. Work with respect knowing that what you're writing can be true. Knowing that it's possible.

-Remember: Fear, and uncertainty affect cultures. There will be survivors, how people feel, how they think about it. See how it changed the society.
-Most importantly, draw from real life.

- Remember to research about stable DNA pools. You can build a new world with 2 people, but having stable genes is different.

Suggested reading list for research:  Go to the "Recommended Reading List" tab above.                                        
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