Pre-Sutcliff Swap Discussion and Warm-up

[riventhorn]

sutcliff_swap  is fast approaching and so it seemed like the right time to host a little discussion and writing/drawing warm-up to get in the proper Sutcliffian mood.

The discussion part: List your two favorite Sutcliff characters and tell why they're you're favorites (even if you've only read one book, pick your two favorites from there!) (and okay, ngl, I chose this topic in part so I can talk about Justinius from Outcast).

The writing/drawing warm-up: As we all know, nature porn is a substantial element of any Sutcliff novel with many eloquent descriptions of geese, marshes, heather, and what have you. So the challenge--for writers, go out and take a photo of a piece of nature (and it can have human elements in it--I am all about demolishing the notion that humans cannot be a part of nature) and then write a few sentences of nature porn to describe it. You could use a pre-existing photo too or a google image, whatever. Artists--sketch a little piece of nature porn. It could be based on a photo, if you want? (sorry, I have a harder time devising challenges for artists.)

You can do the discussion part and not the nature porn or vice versa. Or discuss something completely different if you want. This post is mirrored on http://sutcliff-swap.livejournal.com/

The year was still young, and the little wind blew chill through the long heather, smelling wonderfully of bog and thin sunshine, and a little of the snow that still dappled the north-eastern crests of the high fells; and all around them the curlews were crying, filling all the world with their wild bubbling music.
                                        

                                 -- nature porn from The Shield Ring