SCBWI's Blueboard - A Message & Chat Board
Writer's Room => Research => Topic started by: Schriscoe on October 15, 2019, 12:59 PM
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My WIP needs to have a fishless cove. I need my MC to actually bring fish to the cove vs. there being fish already in it. It is barricaded from the open water with a sea wall, so could it be possible to not have fish in it? :shrug
Thanks!
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Saltwater, right? (I know nothing about coves. Just thinking it through.)
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Yes, sorry. Saltwater. The cove is protected from rough seas by a sea wall.
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Well, the only cove I'm familiar with doesn't have fish (at least, as far as I know), but that's because seals live there, LOL. It's La Jolla Cove in southern CA.
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I have no idea, Sharon, but if there are fishless coves, then you can certainly have it for your wip. By the way, when I first read this, I thought, Covers without fish? And all I could think of was the goldfish bowl with the fish jumping out--it's on two books. lol.
By the way, just because there are no fish observed does not mean there aren't any fish in that particular area. I don't know whether this helps your wip or not, but I'm throwing it out there.
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The question is more refined than this because your WIP takes place in a specific area. Why not contact marine scientists from universities and research organizations in that area. Local maritime museums may also have your answers, possibly even in their gift shop book sections. If there are no fish, there also wouldn't be any birds that eat fish hanging around that cove. You need to learn the ecosystem. Wish I could be of more help.
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I may be off track, but if it's a work of fiction you could say it has no fish because of local environmental issues (eg pollution runoff from a factory, dredging nearby which destroyed the breeding grounds, or whatever it's called when shipping companies dig up the substrate to deepen the channels nearby. If these aren't too "heavy", that is.)
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I think JulieM is on the right track here.
1. Fish live in the ocean and cove
2. A sea wall is built
3. The fish in the cove have *something bad happen* that wipes them all out
4. No more fish live in the cove
It still seems like a stretch for there to be ZERO fish....but stranger things have happened.
Otherwise, WHY do you need there to be no fish? Can you come up with another plot or setting device?
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I assume it has to be a cove? The seawall is important? There are other bodies of fishless water (ie cuts from open coal mining - there is one in atlantic canada that has been well stocked with goldfish. Be cause it's not a naturally ocurring body of water the fish were quite a surprise.)
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I may be off track, but if it's a work of fiction you could say it has no fish because of local environmental issues (eg pollution runoff from a factory, dredging nearby which destroyed the breeding grounds, or whatever it's called when shipping companies dig up the substrate to deepen the channels nearby. If these aren't too "heavy", that is.)
I like the way you think, Julie, with more plot complications.
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I like the way you think, Julie, with more plot complications.
Thanks, Vijaya. : )
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I like the way you think, Julie, with more plot complications.
Exactly!!
Thanks everyone!! You all rock! I now know what to do and I have the perfect 'bad guy' in my WIP to place blame on.
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Great to hear, Schrisco. Happy writing!