I am writing a story where a man makes a treasure map written in his own blood. I know that this idea was in King Solomon’s mines, but I would like to develop that idea or re-use it in my story. It just sounds wicked cool to have something like this in a book. What conditions might he be placed in to use his own blood as ink.
Please don’t answer, because he has no ink. I think that is kind of obvious.
Thanks for the suggestions.
the time that the man lived was about 1700
You might get some ideas by researching Saddam Hussein.
I watched a documentary a couple years ago where he took the reporter on a tour. He had the Koran displayed page by page, under glass, written in his own blood.
There’s a short story about it here (just so you know I’m not making it up)
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040205/2004020502.html
Anyway – more on that story may give you the information you are looking for. For example, how often does he need to give blood? Is he doing it himself or is someone else doing it? Does it have to be fresh? Stored? What about the finished product? Does it have to be stored a specific way as well?
Sounds like an interesting story.
Good luck and have fun!
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You’d have to go beyond just no ink.
For instance, he couldn’t be on a deserted island, as these are popular nesting places for birds. And egg white plus soot equals what? ink. I forget the source, some novel on conquistadors, but the map maker mixed his paints with egg white.
So you need conditions that somehow eliminate every well known way to make ink or even glue (such as fish.) I’d suggest having the man a prisoner, awaiting execution, as this solves both the problem of “why blood” and “why make a map, when you already know how to get there? Wouldn’t it be smarter to just put down the ten paces from the three trees bit?”
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