Sunday, May 3, 2009

Are my scuba diving lessons tax deductible?

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Here's my thinking on this, folks. The Secret of the Sea Witch is about a mermaid whose brother is kidnapped by (spoiler! spoiler! spoiler!). Of course, it turns out that there's MUCH more going on than that. At any rate, Marisa, our heroine, embarks on an epic voyage to find her brother. Trials. Magic. Scrying shells. Enchanted sailfish. Complicity. Pomeranians. (I LOVE Poms...had to get one in there!)

At any rate, in order to think like a mermaid and feel like a mermaid I am taking scuba lessons. Sort of cinéma vérité without the cinema. Or perhaps a better comparison is method acting...without the acting. Whatever. My point is (there's a POINT to this?) that I feel the need to do and see certain things in order to write authentically. World building is one thing. Inspiration for fantasy world building often comes from the real world (Hogwart's modeled after British boarding schools, for example. Berger's electronic inspiration boards = real images to inspire vampire fantasies.)

So...I am breathing underwater (pretty cool), moving underwater (cool...but not as easy as Jacques Cousteau made it look), and generally learning what life is like "Under the Sea" (and, with that, we can all break out into a rousing chorus of Disney songs and go to bed.) And, of course, this is because I am planning on writing the second book in the trilogy!

So? Whaddya think, folks? Are my scuba lessons tax deductible?