Free-for-All Blog Prompt #4 (should you choose to accept it) asked by Miranda Fave
“For your fourth blog prompt I am going to ask you to consider the setting.
So tell me,
Q1. How do you choose your settings – be it planet, ship, ship class, heck Trek era even?
Q2. How does the setting shape your story?
Q3. What world building lengths do you seek as a writer / as a reader?
Q4. Do you like descriptions and to paint the scene or do you leave it to the imagination of the reader?”
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Well I do choose to accept the challenge, so here’s at it!
Q1. How do you choose your settings?
How I chose my setting with difficulties, I all think picking the Trek Era has a lot of bearing on the other choices. For me I currently break trek into the nine following eras: –
1. Phoenix Rising Era (2151 to 2160)
NX-ENT to Coalition of worlds / Romulan War Era
2. Early Federation (2161 to 2252)
Foundation of the federation to the Federation / Axanar War
3. Cold war Era (2253 to 2293)
After the Axanar War to Khitomer Accords [TOS/TAS/AOS era]
4. The Dark Night (2253 to 2363)
Khitomer Accords aftermath to launch of Enterprise-D [between TOS and TNG]
5.Age of Diplomacy (2363 to 2370)
Enterprise D Launch to the destruction of the Odyssey by the Jem’Hadar [TNG/DS9]
6. Age of War (2370 via 2387)
From the destruction of the USS Odyssey by the Jem’Hadar up to the Hobus Supernova. [DS9/VOY/NEMESIS]
7. Typhon Pack/Age of Restoration (2387 to 2397)
From the Hobus Supernova till the start of the Third Klingon/Federation war.
8. STO ERA (2397-2409+)
From the start of the Third Federation/Klingon war into present Star Trek Online Era.
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So if I want to do a full out war story, I’m likely to stick in the Age of War or STO Era’s. If the story depends on the story as a fast or swashbuckling attitude to solve then story I’m likely to go to Early Fed or TOS era, while if I want to touch on a morale dilemma I go to the none war eras. Of course those rules aren’t hard and fast, for me the scene is depend upon the characters I want to write at the time.
As Captain’s Fitzroy, Pike, Ha’rris or Kirk I would expect to see in frontier settings opposite to Galayski, Trieres I see in more developed settings, While Gorrim and Riker would be into the unknown.
As for picking ships that is the hardest thing for me, but the Era does tend to drive that
As era one would be NX Cruiser while era nine I’ve got a pick of over seventeen federation ships. I go for a ship that a) fits the era and b) suits the Captain style. I.e. Emmylou commands Excelsior to reflect her tactical verity while her husband Scott commands a defiant class as he a fighter.
Q2. How does the setting shape your story?
The setting shapes and influences the type of story to a large extend, by determine what resources the commander has to call on. In a frontier town been raid by the Nausciaans the heroes can’t used technobabble to save the day as there not going to be any fancy equipment to spring on the pirates.
While if you on a starship or starbase, you going to have highly training individuals with access to top grade equipment and so you might be able to stop the raiders with some new equipment.
Q3. What world building lengths do you seek as a writer / as a reader?
I’m not sure if I fully understand this question. I build my world in metric or imperial lengths depending upon which I think suit the story audience. 😉
If you mean do I create the world first and plan every building and it contents before I start my stories then no I prefer to have a vague impression and build on it as the story progresses.
Q4. Do you like descriptions and to paint the scene or do you leave it to the imagination of the reader?
Well for me less is more. In descriptions I’m full paid up members that you should show not tell with stories but scenario is my exception, I think you should keep it simple, as people imagination can create more vivid scenes and less likely to break reader emersion. So unless there is a reason to describe the room in story then I prefer to keep to the minimum.
Take these two examples (written DEITDJW): –
Alpha.
Captain Lily Fitzroy kicked in the wooden cabin door her phase laser pistol drawn.
She quickly scanned the room; it was like something out of history. The walls were wood with no insulation, an old fashion stove in the corner and a family wooden table set for a meal with four chairs around it, as she entered the room to search for the missing colonists. She spotted a rag doll, and other stuff toys on the floor, she step carefully to avoid them as she went to the other door which lead to the corridor into the bedrooms.
Beta.
Captain Lily Fitzroy Kicked in the old wood door to the wooden cabin she had found in the woods away from the main colony. The sight that greeted her was a room about six by four feet. There was a large Plexiglas window on the west wall. The window allowed plenty of sunlight to light up the room. Now Lily could see the room was like something out of the history books. The walls were made up of a wooden tree trunk stacked vertically with no modern insulation between them. The centre of the room had an average height table, made of wood that looked like it was a normal flat back construction style. There were four places set out, each had a stainless steel knife and folk and spoon next to a plate, there was half-eaten cold food on each plate. As Lily enter further into the room with the pistol drawn to continue her search for the missing colonists, She notice that was a old charred black metal heater sat in the back right corner of the room, the dying ambers inside providing the rooms only heat and some extra light via the grill face. She saw that a worn rag doll lay on the floor under one of the chairs, it appear to wear a simple approximation of an old Starfleet uniform. She notice in the centre of the room there were more stuff toys, one was a faded green dinosaur which looked like it need re-stuffing, and a Orange Cat with a mass smile on it face, the eyes were two black beads that seem to catch the light and mock Lily, the Colonists had disappeared like the Cheshire Cat of Lewis tales. Lily had to step carefully to reach the light screen door that separates the room from the corridor to the two bedrooms.
So Alpha is 98 words while beta is 311 words but to me the image painted is very similar so which is the better one?
It all personal choice, but if it an action scene with Lily in hot pursuit then I say Alpha would be my choice, while If Lily is searching an abandon Colony for missing people unaware of any remaining danger beta might be better choice.
Well that MF Challenge four answer and in only one thousand and two hundred forty-two words.
Anyway thanks for reading, hope you like it.
Till next time.
Regards,
