Anyone do any fantasy writing?

[Earniel]

History is indeed very important. Because at some point everything becomes history.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

But of course, we all know that the BEST way to write is: languages, history, story.

[Lief Erikson]

Originally posted by Eärniel
History is indeed very important. Because at some point everything becomes history.

Yesterday we were looking at pictures to a small photo album of my Mom, and when I was looking at those photos, I found it weird. It's because one generally doesn't think of history as really having happened. Maybe it's just me, but I don't generally think of history as real events and other people's real lives. The photos drove home again to me how things had happened before now, and at that time it was now.

I'm rambling, probably, but it just is really interesting when one thinks about it in that way.

[Earniel]

Pictures can do that. My dad has a whole box full of very old pictures, you know the black and white one. Pictures of my grandfather who died way before I was born, pictures of our street with only three houses in it, pictures of small trees that now reach the second floor of the house, ect.... Each and every single moment in history was once a 'now'. Quite mind boggling at times.

But of course, we all know that the BEST way to write is: languages, history, story.

Well, I have to take the SECOND best way to write then. Because there is no way I am even going to TRY and make a language of my own.

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Entlover
Computers are great for writing with. Much easier to change things, try different sentence structure. Wow, if Tolkien had had a word processor, I wonder whether he'd have written even more.
Longhand is so time consuming.

Aha! That can be #43 on my list of Things To Do When I Aquire A Time Machine.... "buy Tolkien a laptop." Followed, naturally, by the infinitely more difficult #44 - "convince Tolkien that piece of newfangled computer techology is not going to corrupt his immortal nature-loving soul".

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally posted by Eärniel
Pictures can do that. My dad has a whole box full of very old pictures, you know the black and white one. Pictures of my grandfather who died way before I was born, pictures of our street with only three houses in it, pictures of small trees that now reach the second floor of the house, ect.... Each and every single moment in history was once a 'now'. Quite mind boggling at times.



Well, I have to take the SECOND best way to write then. Because there is no way I am even going to TRY and make a language of my own.

I actually do attempt that, though I'm sure my languages positively SUCK, as I know very little of linguistics.

I have:
a veeery little bit of Dark-Elven
Some Dwarven
A little Elder Tongue
A fairish amout of Elvish (I used to have several hundred words, but that was on the disk , as well as a lot of Elder Tongue )
A wee tad of Goblinic

Of course, it's been for ever since I worked on this stuff. Some of it may be revised or go 'kaput'

[Lief Erikson]

In my novel, I never attempted new languages. I also avoid getting into the special weapons with particular lineage and things like that- my book is complicated enough without that sort of thing. I tend to focus more upon the plot, history and characters. My character development still could use some improvement though. Anyone out there have any ideas as to how to enhance characters?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Sorry, none from me.

Personally, I think that the background etc. is very important in a story. That's why I'm more in a 'world-building' stage than actual writing at the moment.

[Mark of Cenla]

I just started a fantasy novel. Before I wrote the first chapter, I made a long list of names, places, and creatures. Then I drew a map. I will make up the history as I go; that is how I always write. Peace.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I was going to say 'Welcome to the Enmoot', but then I saw your registry date. Well, anyway, thanks for your input! Any and all input of the various fantasy authors (or hopefuls ) on this board is greatly appreciated.

[Lief Erikson]

Mark, have you written many short stories or books, or is this one of your earlier stabs at fantasy?

I started my fantasy world small, in terms of just writing a short story about one country. That was fun, and because it was I decided to go further than that. So I created the world Erinosad, its races, and some of its history. The history still has a long way to go, because I haven't done it from the beginning of the world and I haven't decided yet how old the world is.

[Mark of Cenla]

I am an English teacher, and I make my students write a lot. So I usually write when they are writing. I have written several short stories and one novel, which I am still in the process of typing. I have never been published or anything close to it.

This is my first stab at fantasy. I was too impatient to get going on developing the characters to create a history. Peace.

[#1AragornLover]

My fantasy stories are about Aragorn! I love Aragorn! Yeah! I love Aragorn!

[Lief Erikson]

Originally posted by Mark of Cenla
I am an English teacher, and I make my students write a lot. So I usually write when they are writing. I have written several short stories and one novel, which I am still in the process of typing. I have never been published or anything close to it.

This is my first stab at fantasy. I was too impatient to get going on developing the characters to create a history. Peace.

If this is your first stab at fantasy, have you done other types of writing before? Normal fiction or nonfiction, for example.

[Lief Erikson]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Personally, I think that the background etc. is very important in a story. That's why I'm more in a 'world-building' stage than actual writing at the moment.

What's up in your world building stage at the moment, then?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Beg pardon, don't think I understand.

[Lief Erikson]

What's your world like, and what's left to accomplish?

[Silverstripe]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
But of course, we all know that the BEST way to write is: languages, history, story.

Although this is probably NOT the "best" way to write (can there be a "best?"), I do histories first so I can tell how the developement of languages might have gone. (How the languages influence each other, how culture influences language). I have one culture where the people are rather arrogant, and think they're better than everyone else.

However, those within the group tend to have immense respect for each other.
Their language has some words with polite (or formal) and informal versions. Given their history, they actually use the polite form with each other and the informal form with outsiders.

Of course, it would be possible to let language influence history instead, but to do that, I'd basically have to invent the entire language, and I'm nowhere near that good.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Oooooo, that's a big question. Let's see how much I can condense the world.

First off, religion. Being a Christian, the good-religion is a kinda monotheistic-polytheistic mix. There is the Elder God, Eltarn, who created the world, is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, etc. Then there are twelve lesser goodly gods who each have their own traits (I won't go into all of them, wouldn't want to bore you to death ) and which make up the Council of the Heavens. There is an Order devoted to each of the twelve gods (as well as a very select Order of Eltarn, headed by the High Priest), as well as a number of other orders, some aligned as sub-orders, some not aligned with any specific goodly deity. There are twelve evil gods, including Vilkroth, the Black God, the God of Demons (the Satan of Lisman, basically). But the evil gods are much more racially-based than the others. While some of the goodly races tend to be more aligned with certain deities, the evil gods are almost exclusively worshipped by a specific race.

As far as magic is concerned, that is the matter which has been changing the most, in all likelihood. All along, most of the various races have had special, magic-like abilities. Originally, there were a good deal of magic-users, separated into groups depending on which of the Seven Schools of magic they specialised in. Then magic was only practiced by a very select few (i.e. the fae folk were able to manipulate many bright and colorful magics, whereas Wizards whom some thought to be fae in the forms of old men ( ) commanded a rather subtler magic. Then it got to where magic was not practiced at all, except for the magical abilities of the various races. Right now, it's evolved to the point where is a deep and arcane art, practiced by a very few, who must devote their lives to it's studies to become masters (magic-users all being old men and women). Also, there are certain other forms of magic which have remained fairly static, the "black" magics. These magics include the study, summoning, and attempted control of demons (demonology), the animation of corpses (necromancy), and other, generic black arts (sorcery). The overall view of magic has always been that in the beginning Eltarn imbued Lisman with this force, which can be used for good or for ill (except when no-body could use magic.)

The Geography of Lisman is at the moment very vague. In the Southwest corner are the Swamps of Death where the Dark-Elves live. It is almost completely surrounded by the Shield Mounts, so named because the protect the peoples of good from the Dark-Elven armies The High-Elven kingdom of Oldarul was founded to protect a gap in the Shield Mounts. The North-lands are approximately one third of the landmass of Lisman; this is where the barbarians live, as well as monsters, in some areas. In a generally central location is the land of Canrath, the most cultured and 'highest' human kingdom; it is in it's capital city of Gondel that the Temple of Eltarn lies. On the borders of Canrath is the Federation of (Nesai/Naros?), a group of several small kingdoms, duchies, etc. compiled into one country; they are the allies of Canrath. They are less cultured, and are something of a farming country. I'm not even certain as to the borders of Lisman. I'm torn between a Middle-earth like map (lands in the East, waters in the West), in which case I'd have the Duor Isles (home of the Duorgothi, prime worshippers of Vilkroth) just off the northwestern shore, and a world surrounded by mists and impassable mountains, with none-know-what beyond. If this were the case, then either the Duor Isles would be in the center of a great inland sea, or there would be no Duor Isles, and the Duorgothi would merely inhabit a country of Duor.

Um...Let's see....well, that's all I can think of at the moment which might possibly be interesting to anyone else. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask.

As to what is not done, obviously the geography is one thing. In the series I plan on writing first, Dark-Elves kidnap a human girl as the prologue, so I have to figure some way to make this work geographically. Also there is very little historically done, not to mention that I might change the magic system. And of course languages are little done; the Elder Tongue at least I want to be fairly well-developed, as it the language of the Church of Eltarn, used in ceremonies and rituals. As all of my stories have some priest or some such person in them, and some of them are wholly centered around them, methinks this needs to be fairly well-developed. I'm sure there's more than that, but it's all I can think of that needs to be done.

Ok, I'll stop boring you now.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally posted by Silverstripe
Although this is probably NOT the "best" way to write (can there be a "best?"), I do histories first so I can tell how the developement of languages might have gone. (How the languages influence each other, how culture influences language). I have one culture where the people are rather arrogant, and think they're better than everyone else.

However, those within the group tend to have immense respect for each other.
Their language has some words with polite (or formal) and informal versions. Given their history, they actually use the polite form with each other and the informal form with outsiders.

Of course, it would be possible to let language influence history instead, but to do that, I'd basically have to invent the entire language, and I'm nowhere near that good.

The reason I said that is because that is how Tolkien's works went, I believe.