Outlaw Run

Earlier in the week, we decided to drive to Silver Dollar City for a one day jaunt. At first, we talked about going on Saturday, but with further investigation we decided against it. The biggest reason was to stay away was the Saturday crowds, but these reasons also factored into it.

1)  The temperatures were going to be a little colder--ten degrees is a big difference when you're on a roller coaster!
2)  It was a day where they honored police officers and their families--I just have a problem with the crowd issue, not the fact they honor police officers..
3)  There was a special celebration for the official opening of Outlaw Run--again, serious crowds.
4)  If the kidlet was bringing a friend--which she did--we wanted her to enjoy as many rides as possible!

The kidlet had a friend spend the night on Saturday and, with her parent's permission, the four of us headed to SDC early Sunday morning. (it's a 3.5 hour drive, out-of-state, so we would understand if they would be hesitant). . . after a short jaunt to Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

We arrive just 10 minutes after the park opened.

And we hit it HARD! We played on the big stuff, but there were a ton more rides we never bothered with. Here's the list.
These first four are rollercoasters!

Thunderation 1X-- fairly mild coaster
Wildfire 3X-- loop-de-loop with five inversions--loop, corkscrew, cobra roll and spiral
Powderkeg 1X-- shoots you up and over the first hill before you realize what happens--terrifying!
Outlaw Run 2X-- The newest coaster--AWESOME!!! This was the most fun I've had on a coaster in a long, long time!
Outlaw Run features the world’s first and only double barrel roll on a wood coaster, with a 720-degree (double) barrel roll. In addition:

• Outlaw Run is the only wood coaster to twist upside down three times.
• Outlaw Run is the world’s steepest wood coaster with a first drop of 162 feet (more than 16 stories) at 81 degrees.
• Outlaw Run is the second fastest wood coaster in the world, reaching a top speed of 68 miles per hour.

Giant Barn Swing 1X
Mighty Galleon 1X
Flying Swings 1X
Electrospin 1X
Teacups 1X

Yep, the Outlaw Run is my new favorite coaster. I especially liked the 720 degree barrel roll!
Of course, like any new ride, it was down off and on throughout the day. But we gave it one last shot before we left the park around 4 PM. In less than 20 minutes we were walking out of the ride with very happy grins on our faces.

A trip to the local TRACK, we rode go-carts (Heavy Metal High Rise--scared the bejesus out of me going down the HUGE hill!) and then indulged in a 'dinner' of Andy's Custard before driving home.

This was the first time, the kidlet's friend had ever been to SDC or ridden this many coasters, but I think she had fun . . . they both fell asleep on the drive home. We made it home just 15 minutes past my projected time of 9 PM.

I know we all fell into a deep sleep after such a sugar- and fun-filled long day!

If you're in this part of the country, then the new must-stop is Outlaw Run!

Later, Peeps!  I gotta go walk to work off all those sugary calories I ate!

Ratchet Up The Stakes

My family and I went out of town for Mother's Day to Silver Dollar City. SDC is designed to be an old Ozark town from the 1880's, complete with craftsmen of the time: blacksmith, broom makers, potters, glass blowers, candy makers, etc. You get the picture. Plus they have quite a few rides. And yes, it was my idea. I needed to get away and ride some roller coasters. I love roller coasters, but that wasn't always the case.

When my daughter was little we went to SDC, but we only rode some of the easier rides. I wanted to ride an easy roller coaster called Thunderation. So I jogged toward the place I thought it was and saw the name Wildfire. I went up the long road toward Wildfire because I didn't want to take an hour before I met back up with hubster and child. I was in luck. There was no line for Wildfire. YAY! Then I got a look at this roller coaster--it went upside down and the loops looked crazy-tight like pulling a round balloon oblong. Uh-oh.

I took a deep breath and went on it. . .

Three times. It was fun! But I couldn't get hubster on it for two more years. The kiddo would have been right with me, but it had a shoulder harness and she was too short.

But they also have another coaster called Powderkeg. No shoulder harness, but a really snug lap bar. The kiddo could ride this one when she was four. And boy, did we! It still scares the heck out of me and it doesn't go upside down--sideways yeah--but not totally over. It scares me because it is so fast that you are up and over the hill before you realize it. We're talking two or three seconds tops. It's still a lot of fun.

So what do roller coasters have to do with writing? A lot actually.

On the drive to SDC I started (and finished on the way home) a middle grade novel by Rick Riordan called The Lightning Thief, featuring Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was wonderful!! After I read this I realized that I had to ratchet up the stakes in my gnome story. I knew I would have to, but reading this story really brought it home to me.

No matter the age level you are writing for a writer needs to have a couple of things in his/her arsenal.
1) conflict--without it, the story is boring. The best type of conflict is a mixture of internal and external. And this story did a great job of mixing it up.
2) it has to get worse--if all the story questions get answered at the beginning of the story, there is no story. It has to get worse for the character before it gets better. This also helps the writer with characterization. Who wants to get behind a character that has everything? No one. We all like to read about underdogs. We connect with those characters more than the ones who have it all.

In romances, we know the hero and heroine get together. In mysteries, we know the mystery gets solved. In Urban Fantasies, such as the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher, we know Harry will survive--because there will be another book in the series until #24 or #25. Why read a book if we already know how it ends.

We read for the journey, for the roller coaster ride. The good, the bad, and make it worse stakes for our main character. So when you're writing a story remember to make it hard and harder for your hero, your readers with thank you for it later.

Because reading a good book is like a roller coaster ride, when you think it is looking up for the hero then it is time for him to hit rock bottom again . . . and again . . . and again.

Write on!