Elevations Connection: Terry's Commute

A study in subtle detail. I like to try to make as much of the common, mundane events in this story somewhat plausible. Terry's morning rush in the first six pages wasn't just dramatic effect, his panic at waking up around 7:36 was justifiable (though, even for an airhead he managed to jump out and get dressed at a much, much faster rate than I...bastard).

Terry's hometown is Santa Alta, a smallish town just south of and practically a suburb of San Francisco (more on this fictitious town in a later post). His school, Bidwell College, is in Palto Menlo, a several miles due south. A commuter train line runs between those two municipalities. I based Terry's urgency on several factors, largely revolving on this timetable, excerpted and referenced from a real-life parallel: 

Terry lives across from the Santa Alta train station (lucky bastard) and his college is roughly 15 minutes by foot from the Palto Menlo train station. His first class begins at 8:20. He refused student housing because he's a dog. As such, 218 is Terry's last possible chance to make it on time... if he makes a  run for it.

So, yes, all that research for just to make sure a single line in the first page made enough logical sense to send that dog running out the closet door, tumbling down a row of stairs, and narrowly dodging traffic to make class on time (toast not included).

Elevations Connection: One Winter Morning

There's something to be said about Winter. It is a time of renewal, of reflection. It is a period of shedding the old and welcoming the new, with trees bare and clean. The days and outside air feel crisp and fresh, anything is possible!


And so the story begins. Precisely, January 2013. The date itself isn't arbitrary. Terry started his Freshman year the previous fall, giving him roughly four-to-six months of fun to have. Earlier drafts actually started around that time and with how he ended up in his current living situation and him becoming acquainted with his surroundings. This was cut to speed up the plot and partly as a side effect of drifting away from a slice-of-life format as originally planned. As for the year, besides that time being roughly when the idea of Elevations began brewing, the delay in time period will come into play later on the story.

Trees aren't my strong point, so it's a surprise I managed to capture a few, much less without any cover-up leaves in a believable manner... or so I hope? They look treelike I think!

On that note, how about we grab ourselves a nice latte or cup of cocoa, and walk out into the crisp morning  air, covered all snug in a thick, warm jacket? A new period has begun, and adventure is around the corner!