 Action/Adventure: February 17, 2016 Issue [#7478] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Realistic Explosives & Fire Edited by: Cinn  
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I am not an expert on fire. Beyond a few science classes, candles, and campfires, I have no experience with it. I imagine that most of the people reading this newsletter have about the same amount of knowledge on the subject. I am just as sure that we've all used fire in one of our stories. Why not take a few moments to talk about it?
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
~Excerpt from "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost
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When I was a child, I heard my father groan and grumble through many fine action movies. He also would go from quietly reading a novel to loud ranting, whether anyone was in the room with him or not. The source of his ire usually was explosions, especially exploding vehicles. My parents are both auto mechanics, and nothing drove the old man crazy faster than an exploding car. Let's just say that I know more about gas tanks than any regular person needs to know. 
This was the inspiration for today's newsletter. Fire. How does it behave? What circumstances are required for it to behave the way you want it to? Whether it's an explosion or a fire creeping toward a tied up hero, fire has distinct rules. If you don't know them, I promise that one of your readers will notice.
I assume that we all know the basics of how fire works. It requires oxygen, fuel, and heat. If you remove one of these elements, the fire dies. We all know that. Building on the basics is a reasonable way to make sure that your fire or explosion makes sense in the context of your story.
 Oxygen
Oxygen is clearly all around us, but the situation in your story might be out of the ordinary. Action and Adventure stories often place characters in outer space or locked in an enclosed area without much air or standing in the middle of a wind tunnel or scuba diving in the depths of the ocean. It happens. How do fire and/or explosives react in these scenarios? If you're unsure, look it up. Chances are that you will find answers in the first link you click.
Fuel & Heat
This is where most of my questions arise. How does fire react to different types of fuel? Gas looks sort of like a cloud when it combusts... An explosion. Wood crackles and pops and hisses. That is about the extent of what I know. How much fuel is needed to create a huge whooshing inferno? How hot does a fire need to be to melt metal or make it glow red? These are the types of specifics that will please a detail-oriented reader who knows more about such things than the average writer. It might not be difficult to make sure that the fuel source and amount of heat in your story are appropriate for the reaction you want.
Imagine this very basic scenario:
Your character is tied to a metal chair, and the room catches on fire. Cliche, sure, but roll with me. You want the fire to spread quickly enough for there to be some danger but not so fast that he can't escape. Should the floor be carpeted or wood? Does it need an additional accelerant, like gasoline? Should the window be cracked open to fan the flames, or would that make the flames too fast or too erratic? How close and how big can the fire get before the metal of the chair starts to burn your protagonist?
These are all things that could be found easily online. A quick search for "Which burns faster wood or carpet" pulled up enough easy-to-read articles to make an informed decision. One question down and just a few more to go.
Once you have the basic questions answered, you can use one of my favorite research tools. YouTube. You can watch a real car explosion. You can watch people burn that aforementioned carpet. There are videos of metal melting and buildings succumbing to flames. Maybe you need to see what an explosion looks like for a certain amount of c4? It's available.
As weird as the situation in the story might be, you can find something similar. Exploding perfume bottle? Check. Fire in space? Check. Igniting 10,000 sparklers at the same time? Check. If you want to get the imagery just right, watch the real thing. Would the fire burn orange, red, or blue? Would the flames curl in massive waves or look like a wall of light? It's easy enough to see for yourself.
I can fully understand someone reading this newsletter and shaking their heads at how ludicrous it is to get so hung up on a minor detail. There are two types of people, after all... micro vs macro, big picture vs detail. I know that I am detail-oriented, but I also understand how those details contribute to the big picture. If your details are accurate and the larger story is interesting, you will please both parties. It's just something to think about. 
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A cruise ship captain must save his passengers lives in the aftermath of nuclear war.
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Love to publish someday. Scifi, aliens, fighting arena, edit and rewrite in progress.
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Like my father's disgust at exploding vehicles, I think that everyone has some small idiosyncratic thing that drives them nuts when reading. What's yours? Any tips for other readers?
 
In the last Action/Adventure newsletter I edited, the topic was "chosen one" protagonists. I do love it when a topic strikes a chord with people! Perhaps there will be a spin-off of that idea in the near future. Here are a few responses to the "chosen one" newsletter:
I love the idea of reading a story where the main character is the second best choice for the job. What a great prompt that would be for a contest! From Elle - on hiatus
I thought it sounded like an interesting idea myself. How is it that everything turns into a contest idea for us?  I do believe that if we made a contest every time we said "That would make a great contest!" to each other, we would each be running about 50 by now! 
I found this entry quite enjoyable to read Ky, you did an excellent job of pulling a concept that we are all guilty of doing using Mr. Right when we should widen our horizons with an occasional not so Mr. Right, who might have to improvise a long the way.
Loved the poetry snippet,too! From Lyn's a Witchy Woman 
Thanks, love! It does seem to me that the not-so-perfect person for the task might lead to a more interesting result. There might even be some opportunities for a bit of humor! Also, the poem is available online in its entirety, I believe. The entire piece is as good as the snippet! 
i personally love "chosen one" stories. the idea of "destiny vs. free will" has always been something that has fascinated me. how much of "the chosen one" stories are actually about destiny? while destiny plays a big role in these stories, a lot of choices are made, wise or otherwise, by characters that have profound effects on the plot of the story. in harry potter, harry is "the chosen one", but the actions of his friends, snape, his parents - especially his mother - are major reasons why he succeeds.
avatar: the last airbender is a television show, but it is another example. while destiny is a huge theme of the show, another theme is choosing your own destiny by making your own decisions.
"the chosen one" trope can be tired and cliche at times, but when done right, i think they are some of the most interesting stories out there! From scooter
I couldn't agree more that "chosen one" stories can be excellent when done well. Some of my favorites fall into that category, including Ender's Game to some degree as well as the aforementioned The Stars My Destination. The question really is: Is there another way? If so, it is worth exploring the possibilities before settling on that old standby of the chosen one who is destined to save the day. Thanks so much for writing in! 
In Action Adventure I believe there is usually a chosen one, unless it is about nature or seasons at least that is what I found in reading hundreds of entries in the Traditional Poetry Forum (now of course no longer here) A Great N/L. From Monty 
Leave it to you to bring poetry to the conversation, Monty! I have not read as much traditional poetry on WDC as you have, but now that you mention it, most narrative poems that I have read on the site in the fantasy/adventure category have had a chosen one. I will have to start making mental notes on that when I judge contests with creativity as part of the criteria. Just one more opportunity for people to separate themselves from the pack!
Your insight on the one person saves the world is so true. I think it starts with mega-egos in actors/actresses and takes flight from there. Thank you for pointing it out. It makes for better writing when there is a little bit of realism in the scenes. From Cheri Annemos 
So the script writers take cues from the actual personalities of the actors? That idea cracks me up. I agree 100% that a dose of realism never hurts (hence the topic of this week's newsletter, in fact). Even fantasy needs some reality to keep readers happy.
Great job including so many writings to investigate. In my work, it takes more than one to solve the mystery. The Chosen One always needs help. And sometimes those side characters are reader's favorites. From Mrs. Nixie Clause 
I am always looking for interesting writing to share, so I appreciate that! The combined skills of the group is certainly an important aspect of these "chosen one" stories, and an easily overlooked one. I believe that I have read a number of stories here in which the hero had a group along for the ride, but he didn't actually need them. An excellent point! I am also one of those people who writes more interesting side characters than heroes. Making a protagonist boring is far too easy for me.
We are going to land up with 'Mr. Bean'. Then, comedy is so much harder to write, so I have heard. (Btw, the Wife said there will only be 'One', and do not let her find out about the other ... ) Go well. From RICH
I'm sure that where spouses are concerned, it is probably wise to rely on that old "chosen one" cliche! Always a pleasure hearing from you, Rich!
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