When I consider thy heavens …, by Ben Jeapes
I took this photo on my morning walk two days ago. Isn’t it stunning?
Sadly I can attest that 48 hours later exactly the same scene was dull and overcast. But then, if it was always like this … well, then we’d stop appreciating it, wouldn’t we? God likes to give us these little unexpected treats.
The science fiction romantic in me would love to see this as evidence that a massive alien mothership was entering our atmosphere somewhere to the east. I suspect that if that were the case, we would have heard by now. I know it’s more likely the reds and oranges are something to do with scattered or refracted light – when the sun is low then it has further to travel through the atmosphere and that strips out the bluer end of the spectrum. Or something like that. How it comes to be precisely those rich, intense shades of red and orange – well, that I don’t know. And while I know that clouds are condensed water vapour floating around in the atmosphere, I have no idea how they achieve that scalloped, rippled look, or how there seems to be an inverted crater in them, its rim catching the red light while the centre is more grey/blue.
I’m sure a physicist could explain it all, and it wouldn’t diminish the wonder one bit.
In short, our world is full of unexpected touches of wonder. Sadly, very often our fictional worlds aren't. My friend David Gullen touches on this in his excellent blog post, 5 Tips for World Building. “I’ve read more than one story where it feels like the characters are walking through some kind of studio set and you could step off the path and bang your hand on the backdrop, no matter how beautifully it may be painted.”
Do your characters inhabit a world where every once in a while they might just stop and gaze in wonder at an astonishing sight like this? Or are they barging around a lifeless studio set?
Over to you.
Lovely post! It prompted me to think of the song,' Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all thy works thy hands have made...' It is truely wonderful, what you captured. Yes, my characters and I usually appreciate the scenery, the moment and God's awesome wonders in nature in my books.Blessings.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo. Well done, Ben.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought about the world our characters inhabit! I love the photo. Thank you for this reminder, Ben.
ReplyDeleteA timely reminder. I'll be thinking about the effects of my worlds on the reader.
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same thought I drove down a muddy lane full of puddles while the rain lashed down yesterday. And yet the day before it was sunny and mild. The trick is to hide the set with enough foliage that your readers forget it's all made up. And that is why we writers are tired all the time and have bags under our eyes.
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha! YOu're not wrong ;0)
Delete