Cliffs, waterfalls, frogs? - Writers Forum

Seppuku05 · 07-15-2007, 02:01 PM

This may be daft, but someone who read my prologue mentioned a couple of things like 'If it was near a waterfall would it still be called a cliff as cliffs are associated with the sea'. (though I'm pretty sure if by a waterfall, it's still called a cliff) Another thought is trees near water, and frogs near waterfalls (I say frogs as 'crickets' won't be realistic as you're not going to hear them by water and the meadow is too far away for the characters to here it.

Also, what's a common smell for young women to wear? (This shows that I haven't had a girlfriend for a while

) Lavender is a smell you associate with old people and I don't want my reader making that association when my character starts touching the girl and preparing to make love - I'm sure those with a vivid and wild imagination will be quite disturbed if they make that connection.

Though I could easily research that last question myself but I'm asking the other questions anyway, so may as well slip that one in.

Thank you.

Mallignamius · 07-15-2007, 02:15 PM

Your friend might be associating cliffs with the sea alone, but that's not a reliable predominance of connection. Even I would call it a cliff. What else should be better than cliff?

WordWeb defines:
A steep high face of rock.
"he stood on a high cliff overlooking the town"

mammamaia · 07-15-2007, 06:18 PM

Quote:

This may be daft, but someone who read my prologue mentioned a couple of things like 'If it was near a waterfall would it still be called a cliff as cliffs are associated with the sea'. (though I'm pretty sure if by a waterfall, it's still called a cliff)

what's daft is your friend saying that, since cliffs are cliffs wherever they are... and there are probably far more of 'em inland, than on all the shores of the planet...

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Another thought is trees near water,

what about it?... there are lots of trees near all kinds of water...

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and frogs near waterfalls (I say frogs as 'crickets' won't be realistic as you're not going to hear them by water and the meadow is too far away for the characters to here it.

...there are waterfalls and waterfalls... some aren't all that noisy... and you might hear either frogs or crickets if you're near one, so what's the problem?... fyi, the sound of a high, noisy waterfall is much less if you're at the top, then if you're at the bottom... and even some high ones are only a trickle, so don't 'roar' as a huge one would...

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Also, what's a common smell for young women to wear? (This shows that I haven't had a girlfriend for a while

) Lavender is a smell you associate with old people and I don't want my reader making that association when my character starts touching the girl and preparing to make love - I'm sure those with a vivid and wild imagination will be quite disturbed if they make that connection.

...and just what's wrong with a woman having a young lover!??... fyi, it happens!... but to answer your question, why not just have her smell of soap and shampoo?... make her a nice, clean girl with no pretentions... not trying to be alluring, but being so because of that...

Truth-Teller · 07-16-2007, 12:09 AM

Cliffs are cliffs! Waterfalls are waterfalls! And frogs are frogs!

How complicated can it get?

If you want to create your own words not in the dictionary, go right ahead!

Seppuku05 · 07-16-2007, 07:09 AM

Cheers, the waterfall thing I thought I'd go ahead and ask - I was picked up upon using the word cliff though it's not the sea, the person obviously didn't realise.

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what about it?... there are lots of trees near all kinds of water...

I meant types of tree that grow near water, so I am told, Oaks don't grow near rivers - though there is the willow tree and I just answered my own question.

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...there are waterfalls and waterfalls... some aren't all that noisy... and you might hear either frogs or crickets if you're near one, so what's the problem?... fyi, the sound of a high, noisy waterfall is much less if you're at the top, then if you're at the bottom... and even some high ones are only a trickle, so don't 'roar' as a huge one would...

True, though I'm thinking frogs and crickets wouldn't naturally live near a waterfall, though I could be wrong but in my mind Frogs tend to stay near ponds, streams and other calm waters.

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...and just what's wrong with a woman having a young lover!??... fyi, it happens!... but to answer your question, why not just have her smell of soap and shampoo?... make her a nice, clean girl with no pretentions... not trying to be alluring, but being so because of that..

There's nothing wrong with it, though my characters are young and I don't want them to be associated being older than they are. Though the clean idea, in the way that you've put it would probably be a better idea.

Thanks.

mammamaia · 07-16-2007, 08:40 PM

there's no reason why frogs and crickets wouldn't live near a waterfall... frogs live in/around rivers, as well as ponds... and crickets live just about anywhere there's grassy stuff growing... and of course oaks grown near rivers... they do need water for their roots, y'know and they'll grow anywhere a bird or a squirrel drops an acorn--riverbank or meadow... there's even a species called 'water oaks' because they grow along waterways... you seem to need a refresher course in biology and geography...

Seppuku05 · 07-17-2007, 04:17 AM

haha, I do, though these thoughts came because of somebody's criticisms, so perhaps we both should take a course together. Thank you.

temptryst · 07-17-2007, 09:28 AM

A young woman could smell of apples or something along the lines of fresh and crisp. If you wanted to go more elegant, perhaps rosewater.

assassin · 07-18-2007, 01:48 AM

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Originally Posted by temptryst

If you wanted to go more elegant, perhaps rosewater.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

Seppuku05 · 07-18-2007, 02:54 AM

Cool, thanks, I'll try that and the clean smell and see which works best.