beach cabana tent kids image
LulaBelle
I had a dream last night about this beautiful beach cove and decided that that is where I want to place the novel I've been struggling to write. This is some information about the setting:
(Forgive the sentence fragments and undeveloped ideas, this is just my brainstorm from this morning)
A mile-long stretch of beach in a cove. Beautiful blue skies. No clouds. Palm trees lining the back of the beach, separating the beach from a huge glass-walled resort. Brightly colored cabana tents all over the stretch of beach. Golden sand. A man-made cement wall separates the water in the cove from the drop-off to the ocean. A ladder on the wall gives access to the ocean, though itâs hardly used, the cove is so expansive. Smoke coming up from cooking pits. Women, children, men. Festive. A cultural mish-mash. Towels and bikinis etc. drying on lounge chairs outside the cabanas. Flip flops. Bare feet. Tanned, oily, sandy skin. Volleyball. Children running around with each other, playing games. Shower stalls, wood with swinging wood doors, line the far right side of the cove.
Loud talking. Singing. Many languages. Children shreaking, having fun. Feet pounding into the sand as they run by, playing games. Kids giggling. Light waves lapping the shoreline. Jet skis. Radios blasting; Bob Marley, Black Eyed Peas.
Smells: Tanning oil. Tropical fruit. Coconut rum. The ocean. Sand.
Automatically to me this seems like a vacation environment (hence the resort). But unfortunately trying to build a plot based off a setting (and not the other way around) is a trying task. What kind of plot do you think matches this kind of setting? What do you picture to be going on here?
And can anyone think of a name for this cove and this resort based on it's description?
Thanks!
Answer
I think this is one of those situations where if you don't know the answer you are not asking the right questions. You are looking for a plot... a what happens at this place. So put yourself there and look for yourself. Can't see it? Then your setting is not detailed enough for your imagination.
What you have seems like a good start but is still somewhat bland. The only interesting thing is that the ladder is hardly used. This is the only thing about the entire description that made me wonder why. Other than that one thing, this could be any of 10,000 resorts with just a few pieces moved around. Not terribly interesting. You could do better. It is not a surprise this world has no life. It is not yet real to you.
As an aside generally we work up stories from the characters. This is what we are ultimately interested with. Again you detail each character so much that they begin to have a life of their own. If your setting is to be a character like the room in the recent movie 1408 then it might be appropriate to start with it.
I think this is one of those situations where if you don't know the answer you are not asking the right questions. You are looking for a plot... a what happens at this place. So put yourself there and look for yourself. Can't see it? Then your setting is not detailed enough for your imagination.
What you have seems like a good start but is still somewhat bland. The only interesting thing is that the ladder is hardly used. This is the only thing about the entire description that made me wonder why. Other than that one thing, this could be any of 10,000 resorts with just a few pieces moved around. Not terribly interesting. You could do better. It is not a surprise this world has no life. It is not yet real to you.
As an aside generally we work up stories from the characters. This is what we are ultimately interested with. Again you detail each character so much that they begin to have a life of their own. If your setting is to be a character like the room in the recent movie 1408 then it might be appropriate to start with it.
camping TENTS??? (pic)?
Madison B
Can i get those cute little kids camping sets a like wal mart? Or where else?
ones like these:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mZEsbU36L._SL500_.jpg
or
http://www.bossgoo.com/photo/product4/775319/product-Kids-Camping-3pcs-Set.jpg
and also: it doesnt have to be all cutsey, just like a smaller sizze.
thanks in advance
Additional Details
also, are they like SUPER small? cause its for my 13 year old, she said she wanted a tiny, cozy and content one like that. (x
ALSO: cause i am pretty sure i have seen them in the wal mart stores but they are not online so i was a little worried.
thanks guys.
Answer
These kinds of items like in the picture, including anything with a cartoon character on it, are more of a toy than a serious piece of camping gear. They probably are not weatherproof for one, and I bet they aren't very durable.
But you can get "real" tents that are kid sized for different amounts of money. Here is a youth tent from TexSport
http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Brookwood-Youth-Dome-Tent/dp/B001C0GWUE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1269683114&sr=1-14
You can also get an authentic bivy shelter or a backpacker's or bicycler's tent. These are all small, lightweight, and minimalist design so they are easy to carry. They are used by adults with almost no room to spare, but for a child, they would still be pretty cozy, and they are meant for real camping. Note that the term bivy is used to describe both a sleeping bag cover, which you don't really want for this, and a narrow tent. Here is a search result page for those.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=bivy&x=0&y=0
You also may have some luck with a beach type shelter, including some pop up cabana type things which tend to have a small footprint, since they are used by people in a sitting position. These are meant for real use, but not necessarily camping. Many are meant for shade, but may not be waterproof or durable enough for any sort of campsite other than sand.
Just make sure whatever you get is meant for real use as a camping piece, that is has all the right working parts just like a grownup's, and is meant to be used outdoors instead of being set up in the playroom, etc.
EDIT: Your 13 year old will not fit in any play tent I have ever seen unless she is super small. Even if she did, she is bound to hit a growth spurt any day now. Go with a backpacking tent or a bivy shelter! It will be plenty cozy...this is past the age of toy tents in my opinion. If she is showing interest in camping, get her some real gear and teach her how to do it right!
These kinds of items like in the picture, including anything with a cartoon character on it, are more of a toy than a serious piece of camping gear. They probably are not weatherproof for one, and I bet they aren't very durable.
But you can get "real" tents that are kid sized for different amounts of money. Here is a youth tent from TexSport
http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Brookwood-Youth-Dome-Tent/dp/B001C0GWUE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1269683114&sr=1-14
You can also get an authentic bivy shelter or a backpacker's or bicycler's tent. These are all small, lightweight, and minimalist design so they are easy to carry. They are used by adults with almost no room to spare, but for a child, they would still be pretty cozy, and they are meant for real camping. Note that the term bivy is used to describe both a sleeping bag cover, which you don't really want for this, and a narrow tent. Here is a search result page for those.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=bivy&x=0&y=0
You also may have some luck with a beach type shelter, including some pop up cabana type things which tend to have a small footprint, since they are used by people in a sitting position. These are meant for real use, but not necessarily camping. Many are meant for shade, but may not be waterproof or durable enough for any sort of campsite other than sand.
Just make sure whatever you get is meant for real use as a camping piece, that is has all the right working parts just like a grownup's, and is meant to be used outdoors instead of being set up in the playroom, etc.
EDIT: Your 13 year old will not fit in any play tent I have ever seen unless she is super small. Even if she did, she is bound to hit a growth spurt any day now. Go with a backpacking tent or a bivy shelter! It will be plenty cozy...this is past the age of toy tents in my opinion. If she is showing interest in camping, get her some real gear and teach her how to do it right!
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Title Post: Working backwards with my writing, and need help....?
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