In Rising Fire, I describe the first time the dragon, Xantilor, takes Tor for a flight. I've never flown on a dragon myself, so imagination was called for. I wished I hadn't passed on the opportunity to take a microlight flight a couple of years ago (unlike Tor, I am not good with heights).I looked up aerial photographs of castles and countryside for Tor's view. Thinking about birds, I realized you'd go up and down with each beat of the huge wings.
Then it occurred to me that riding a bike has something in common with riding a dragon. You're experiencing the sun or rain, the rushing wind, the speed, and in London enough danger to make it exhilarating.*
Though not, thank goodness, the dizzying distance from the ground.
.
*Sometimes I wish my bike had a fire-breathing feature...
Sounds like fun research! Cool pic by the way.
ReplyDeleteNik
It is, isn't it? I love children's art.
ReplyDeleteOne day I will fund a competition at a local primary, where I get to keep the winners' pictures.
Ha! I know what you mean. You might like this then, the results of a workshop I did a few years ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://nikperring.tripod.com/id24.html
Nik
Fantastic! Really good. Perhaps I will make it a story and picture competition.
ReplyDeleteAs writers, those children have all the elements; characters, settings, conflict, the unexpected (one day something terrible happened) happy endings.
Though perhaps it was your writerly influence?
Maybe a little ;)
ReplyDeleteNik
PS I will blog about school visits and workshops and suchlike soon - well just as soon as I've shifted this cold.