 Fantasy: September 08, 2010 Issue [#3950] |
  Fantasy
This week: Reptiles: Part 2: Super Weirdnesses Edited by: shaara
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Welcome to the Fantasy Newsletter. I hope you're taking advantage of
CELEBRATION TIME!
Let's give three cheers for our favorite alternate residence!
Go Writing.com!
Happy Birthday, dear, dear Writing.com!
As one of your Fantasy editors, my goal is to challenge you to think outside the KNOWN and to help you inject your tales with fascinating facts while jagging left and right through troublesome frolics and teethe-writhing dilemmas.
Perhaps we can help each other to safely jog through these twisty turns of radical thought, alternate viewpoint, and dynamic detail. Come! Let's head down the Path of Dimensions, untextured by any earthly array.
In other words,
let's drop out of reality for awhile.
Shall we?
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Reptiles: Part 2 - Super Weirdnesses
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As you may recall, I took a vow a few months ago to roam through
Earth's animal kingdom in search of interesting variations that could inspire creative
writers to e x p a n d beyond their normal
boundaries.
Today our trip crawls along with two more four-footed, clawed, and curiously unusual critters - both of them LIZARDS.
But first, I offer up a question:
All animals have two eyes, right?
(Ok, we know that insects prove that statement WRONG, but . . .
Did you know there's a reptile with THREE eyes?
A tuatara has a third eye on the top of its head. Imagine that!
To have three eyes would be quite useful, I think. Personally, I'd prefer to place my third eye in the back of my head, since I teach small humans who are frequently into and up to things they should not be doing.
But the tuatara is not a teacher and that is not how it uses its third eye,
nor is that the location in which nature has placed this special addition.
The tuatara, boringly, finds its third eye right in the middle
(well slightly on top the other two.)
(Click on the picture to make it bigger.)
This reptile, found in New Zealand, also, doesn't use its extra eye as I might.
The Tuatara's center eye has a retina and a lens, all right, but it doesn't watch T.V. with the eye or even check out the ladies while studiously appearing to study the fauna and flora.
Instead, the Tuatara assigns the extra eye the job of informing it of the season, and, believe it or not, the time of day.
I know you're finding this hard to believe, but I swear that's what my research tells me. This lizard can actually tell the time and date!
Isn't that unbelievably fascinating?
Think about it, an animal wearing not only a calendar but a watch as part of its body -- how convenient!
I wonder if we could train a tuatara to keep us informed? The little lizard could ride on our shoulders and - if only it could talk - we could gently tug its tail to get an instant update.
But forget about how WE could use such a creature.
How could a writer make use of such a concept?
What stories does it inspire you to write?
The alien consulted his third eye
and discovered that it was time
for his evening drink.
The alien, using its third eye,
decided it was time to step out of its old skin.
The ogre spider, using the third eye in the center row,
changed his bobbin of thread and
began weaving his tapestry into
another dimension.
As with the last suggestion, maybe you'd like to add additional eyes,
eyes that can perform other functions such as:
Thermometer
Odometer
Compass rose
Food Consumed
Omens
Amount of money still in the bank?
I can almost visualize that.
The alien child wasn't sure about his mother's wishes.
He opened his third eye and allowed his mother to view the surroundings.
Immediately, recognizing the danger her son
had stepped into, she ordered him to retreat.
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A third eye (or more) is not the only weirdness I encountered in my prowling through the wild reptiles of our Earthly kingdom.
Did you know that a green basilisk lizard can dart across water for fifteen feet before sinking?
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-basilisk-lizard/
What if, on some faraway planet or kingdom, one's lack of ability to water-walk were a sign of inferiority?
I guess one would need to carry special boost flippers -- or to genetically alter one's feet to allow for such social interactions.
And just suppose that one landed in a society where the Olympic games were all about the distance of one's waterway-crossing skill.
Perhaps all sports would rely on such an ability - races, hurtles, tennis and basketball games . . . all via water running. (Sorry ice skaters, only liquid water would count.)
Would business meetings commence with such a ritual?
Would trustworthiness be proven or disproven by one's unsinkability?
Could a wizard or spaceman adapt to such rules?
Ah, imagine the titles of such books:
Watercrossing Planet Oceanic
Free-Walking the Waterways of Blurb
'Tis Better to Walk Than to Drown: My Adventures in the Land of Zooblaw
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Maybe my third eye could tell me the depth of the water that I am walking across.
Maybe it tells me the distance to the next landmass.
Maybe it warns me of predator fish/mammals, etc. Maybe . . .
Your turn.
Imagine away, and please send me your ideas about how you used this concept.
I can't wait to hear.
May this be the impetus for your next best seller.
Please let me know.
I LOVE to hear comments.
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Featured this month:
This is an eerie story about a father who VIVIDLY senses everything is daughter does. It's wonderfully written.
His entire will was bent toward reaching Julie, but his ability to move, or even breathe, was utterly impaired. The slightly alkali taste of lake water filled his mouth, nose and lungs as he writhed and crawled on dry sand. He heard the thumps of feet as people ran past him, but the sounds were dull and undefined; as if he'd stuck his fingers in his ears.
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This is a story that entices one into the imaginings (or fantasy extra-life) of a woman trapped by the normality of her life. The language of it is beautiful.
Heather opened her eyes to an ocean filled with the reflection of dancing stars. The cold of the sea did not matter. A short distance away, a glistening shore, above her, a moon big as bliss.
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| |  | Immortal State (13+)
If science could keep us alive forever, would we really want the Right to Immortality?
#1699863 by Mage   |
This piece has some interesting ideas . Reading it pushes us into wondering about the future. What will dying be like in the future? What would be the death tributes/ceremonies/traditions on another planet, in another world, in another system of existence?
The lobby was crowded. I accompanied my grandmother through the throng of people here to visit loved ones. Gentle, consoling music, played in the background, which made my grandmother smile as I wheeled her to a somber young representative.
"Mrs. Henderson, welcome to Immortal State... I understand you are here to visit your husband for the first time and are considering the procedure yourself."
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For the child in all of us, I have included this special tale about a child whose teeth just wouldn't come out and the tooth fairy who waited patiently.
She tried taking a deep breath, and clearing her throat quietly, but she could not hold it back any more. From complete stillness and quiet, Cameron exploded with a sneeze. For a brief moment she forgot why she'd been trying to keep the sneeze in. Then she opened the hand she had used to cover her mouth, and there it was. A tiny tooth had popped right out mid-sneeze and she hadn't even noticed!
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This is a happy tale, one that makes you feel better about the world, wishful maybe and dreamingly wistful, but filled with hope that maybe - cross fingers and wish on a star -- there might be some truth in it.
I was driving cross country, running from an abusive ex. He'd broken ribs that I couldn't fix. He'd bruised my soul into a panicked mess. As a parting shot, he'd smashed the prism I'd received so long ago into fragmented shards and I watched as the colors bled into the dirt encasing my soul.
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And here's one of mine. I've thrown in a fantasy piece - one about a genie. I'm personally not this silly. If I ever met a genie, I would definitely not ignore him - not even for a minute!
The genie continued to stare up at me and finally, impatiently, he said, "Hurry up and scream so I can get out of here. This coffee's burning my butt."
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I hope you enjoyed my picks this month. See you in October!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Comments Concerning the August Fantasy Newsletter on Reptiles:
If you didn't catch it,
you can read any and all
of my newsletters by going to
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bookgraham 
Well, there I am in the middle of a writing a sci fi novel. I'll just pop into WDC in case there's some interesting newsletters, I think. Am I glad I did! What with snakes controlling venom, and now being offended by colour you're virtually writing this book for me. You're a marvel. Thank you for your newsletters.
Thank you so much for letting me know that what I write helps you write! Wow! Sounds like a scary novel - but an interesting one!
Fiona Hassan
Wow! Lots of ideas about using color in sci/fi! I'll definitely have to use that line of thought if I ever get stumped trying to come up with a good character/species/whatever!
-Fiona
I'm delighted purple that you found something to unstump you in my last Fantasy Newsletter. Thanks for letting me know!
LJPC - the tortoise
Hi Shaara!
You must have spent a lot of time researching all the various animals you mentioned. I particularly liked the ideas about color and your comment about the pink lizard being 'X-rated". Who would have guessed? You presented many ideas to spark someone's muse. Thank you for taking the time to share what you've learned with all of us. -- Laura
Thank you for always commenting about my newsletter! It's you and the others like you who e-mail their suggestions, comments, and ideas that keep me thinking up new things to write about. One gorilla and a half-size thank you!
ambrosia
woooooow this is one new thrilling idea! You know, call me crazy.. But I i've always thought and believed that animals have a culture humans will never understand. I love your story it's awesome!
You made my day. Thank you for loving my story. Awesome? Wow! Also, I agree with you about the culture of animals. I wish I had more time to devote to studying them. They really fascinate. When I owned my Arab mare, she taught me an enormous amount about nature and the world around us. All I had to do was watch her ears and eyes. Her snorts were quite descriptive, too. LOL
saraiv
Thanks for putting me in the newsletter. This is addition was superb. =D
It was my pleasure to include your piece. Thanks for the compliment!
writetight
I enjoyed all of your newsletters this week.
Wow, coming from an author like you, I curtsey and say a big thank you for the compliment.
Thank you for all your comments.
Please drop me a line to let me know how you felt about this newsletter.
And I have a question for you:
Which Earth animal is the most bizarre (other than humans?)
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