4 Things I discovered writing my underwater fantasy trilogy (plus a reading)
As a writer, I find myself learning so many things along the way. I’m not just talking about the writing process. I’m talking about knowledge not usually known, information you can only learn from deep research. Also, you could learn a thing or two about yourself, and life in general.
Ergo, writing is learning.
Here are the things I discovered while writing IONE: A SEA WITCH’S TALE and AQUOSVEGNA: THE TRIDENT OF POWER. I’m presently writing Book 2 (The Mother Crocus), and after that, Book 3 (The Grimoire), and I’m pretty sure I have more to discover.
Stick with me till the end of this blog post to listen to an excerpt from Ione: A Sea Witch’s Tale.
Four Things I Discovered Writing my Underwater Fantasy Trilogy
1. Earth’s Deepest Place
With a depth of more or less 36,201 feet, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in the ocean. It is somewhere between Hawaii and the Philippines near the small island of Guam. According to National Geographic, if you were to put Mount Everest at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, its peak would still sit around 7,000 feet below sea level.
In comparison, the following can be found in these depths:
- Most ocean life: 60 feet
- Nuclear submarines: 850 feet
- Whales: 8,200 feet
- Titanic: 12,467 feet
Amazing, right?
The Mariana Trench is where I picked the location for the Castle of Aquosvegna, the seat of power and where the King of Aquaeans dwell. But for good measure, I made it under it, more deeper to avoid discovery by humans.
Of course, I also read about the Bermuda Triangle, the seven seas, and the legends of merfolk, which you will encounter, in one form or another, in Aquosvegna: The Trident of Power. I hope you read it!
2. Little known marine creatures
I discovered and learned about the glass octopus, the dumbo octopus, the stingray, the hogfish (which was the main ingredient used by Merleia to create a masking spell), and many other varieties of fish, whales, corals, reefs. As I write the final two books, I am sure I will discover more.
In Ione: A Sea Witch’s Tale, we encounter Jella, Ione’s echo. I made Jella a mix of glass and dumbo octopus.
Trivia: Dumbo octopus species have umbrella-like webbing joining their tentacles and cartoonishly ear-like fins that resemble the oversized ears on Disney’s Dumbo elephant character. Some say it resembles a Baby Yoda!
Did you know there’s a newly discovered species of Dumbo Octopus which didn’t match any known species? The number of suckers on its tentacles, along with the shape of the gills and beak, was something totally new. Scientists named it Grimpteuthis imperator, and Emperor Dumbo or Kaiser Dumbo as a proposed common name because it was discovered along the slopes of the Emperor seamount chain in the Pacific Ocean.
3. There really is a Crocus plant
For my story, I thought of an ancient plant which holds so much power and can empower as well, and I thought of its name as Crocus. As I explored the worldwide web, however, I found out that there really is a plant named Crocus, from which come what we usually know as saffron, the world’s most expensive spice.
Imagine that! And of course, I had to weave it somehow into my story. I touched on the Crocus in Book 1, but on Book 2, the Crocus takes center stage. And that’s why Book 2 is titled, The Mother Crocus. It’s available for pre order now on Amazon.
4. My self-discovery as a writer
I discovered I love writing fantasy! I had been awed and amazed by the fantasy books and films I’ve read and watched, and I couldn’t imagine myself thinking up of beasts and monsters and unusual creatures. But it turned out I can.
That being said, I also discovered I cannot write a fantasy (or any genre, for that matter) serial. This is why I did not pursue the Aquosvegna serial I put up here on my website months ago. (Apologies for those who are searching for it.) It’s because my plot is ever changing, ever evolving. I’m like that. I always think up of more twists, more turns, more engaging dialogues as I write, and I tend to move chapters either forward or backward, change opening scenes, think of new characters and subplots- a lot.
This is why I had to put out my book only when it’s totally finished. It’s like learning a new side of me as a writer and accepting myself for what I am, or what I am capable of.
So, there you go. As I’ve said, I’m still writing Books 2 and 3, and I might discover more to add to these.
As promised, here’s a reading of an excerpt from IONE: A SEA WITCH’S TALE to give you a glimpse of the character-driven plot twists in it. You can also click on the image below to listen to it.
When we talk about under the sea, what comes to mind? Why, mermaids, of course! Speaking of, I came upon these cute, functional items depicting merfolk. Aren’t they adorable?
