Part of what I want to do on these three days I took off for my book release is make a video of my main setting using MineCraft. I already have the world laid out; now I just need to shoot, edit and post the video. Easier said than done; I will start bight and early tomorrow.
As a sneak peek, I thought I’d post some screenshots from the MineCraft world along with some excerpts that either inspired the scene, or inspired the story. You’ll see what I mean.
The Klein Farm. Or the “Little Farm”.
Gretchen looked up at the yawning door as she entered. It was much like her parents’ farmhouse, with an arched door set in the center of a wooden structure with a high, sloping roof that extended low to the ground on both sides, and walls with thick wooden cross-members forming squares and triangles. It was a good deal more ancient than her parent’s own brick and log farmhouse.
Still, it looked familiar enough to be welcoming; she had grown up around such houses.
This was Klein Farm, Version III. The first version was not on a large enough scale, and the second version did not have enough surrounding land. I omitted the triangles because you can’t get good triangles in a block world.
Home Cluck Home
Homey sounds and smells enveloped Gretchen as she walked through the Einhaus—the smell of cow and horse, the cluck of hens and the baa of goats. The interior walls of the house were much like the exterior, with broad beams making squares and right triangles, filled in with a whitewashed expanse. The low walls formed chambers where the cattle would be driven in at night. Above her on the low second level would be the grain and hay storage…
Ahead, she could see a large fireplace dominating the interior wall, with chambers underneath for ovens.
In this scene, the game truly inspired the story. I had watched many videos on YouTube of these sort of outdoor museums (Freilichtmuseum), but I did not get a sense of what it may have sounded like until I started herding sheep and hatching eggs in the farmhouse. Once I started thinking of the sounds, it was easy to think of the smells as well.
Troublesome Hen
Later that afternoon, Lars heard a familiar squawking in the main aisle, and he emerged from the oxen’s stall to find Gretchen once again trying to chase down that chicken that always seemed to get loose. He joined in as she tried to grab it, jumping in to intercept the troublesome creature until she finally grabbed hold of it. He followed her as she took it back to the coop and thrust it inside.
Lars to the rescue! I have no idea how this little guy got loose in the game.
Romantic Hayloft
When she turned to go back to the farmhouse, she noticed a light in a high window. She stopped for a moment, considering, watching the light. Then she went back inside and paused at the ladder leading to the lofts.
What she was about to do went beyond what Ange had suggested. And besides, it was impertinent and might come across as desperate rather than merely determined.
But Lars had said she was pretty, so…
What is it with me and romantic hayloft scenes? It is almost getting to be a meme. You would think that I had such experience with haylofts, myself.
There is a brief, romantic scene in the garden by the moonlight. But mostly I just wanted to capture this picture of the cool new moon.
The name of the game is MineCraft, and its simple concept has made it tremendously popular. Get it at https://minecraft.net/. It is a great way to visualize your scenes.
Or to just goof off.