  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: Colin Back on the Ghost Roads  
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This newsletter is for everyone who enjoys the magic and mystery of a good Fantasy, be it Tolkien, Jordan, Rowling, or a host of others. I will also be attempting to give some time to other types of fantasy, as written by the likes of Asimov, Wilson, Clarke and a galaxy of talent.
I hope to present some information that will be useful to other fantasy authors on site, and entertaining to all our subscribers.
So, let the wonder and glory of all that is fantasy engulf you.
The Fantasy Editors:
Colin Back on the Ghost Roads
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John~Ashen 
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Urban Fantasy
Urban fantasy,or contemporary fantasy is a subtype of fantasy literature. Urban fantasy stories are generally set in modern or near modern times, but with magic or supernatural elements thrown in. Terry Brooks Knight of the Word series is an example, as is Neal Gaiman's American Gods and Neverwhere (although Neverwhere might better be described as a parallel universe story). C. S. Lewis' Narnia books are not, because most of the story, and pretty much all the fantastic elements, take place in an invented fantasy world, it's just that the lead characters typically come from the real world. Harry Potter is also a type of urban fantasy, as are both the Buffy and Angel series.
The key point in urban fantasy is that magic of some sort exists in the real world. Often times the magic is hidden from normal people, as they would not be able to deal with the truth. Sometimes, however, magic has simply become integrated into every day life. It also may not be magic itself, but the presence of magical creatures (Fairies, dragons, godly powers and what not) that marks the departure from the normal world.
Urban fantasy stories can be very interesting, but you have to be careful when writing them. First, you have to know your setting. It will be some place in the real world, so you should do a certain amount of research to get the details right. Many authors invent neighborhoods in large cities for their stories, that way they can research the details of the city itself, but invent the details of the particular area. This is generally perfectly acceptable if the invented neighborhood is integrated well with the city proper. Another option is to set the story in a small invented town where you can take more liberties. Again, however, you will have to research the region you are setting the story to make sure anyone who is familiar with it will not catch glaring errors.
After researching and planning out the details of your setting, you'll have to decide when, why and how it diverged from the real world. If magic is a world wide phenomenon, but hidden from most of humanity, you'll need to determine how it has been hidden. Regardless of whether it is common knowledge or not, you will need to determine how the existence of magic has affected the world. You will often have to think of a lot more things than it might first appear. Even small changes to a world can result in huge differences. For example, if magic has been a force since the dawn of time, how did it affect major historical events? If magic is hidden than magical events may have gone on behind the scenes, one group canceling out the interventions of another. If magic is public, then the changes are likely to be more extreme.
Once you've set the history of the world, you're more ready to write your story. Remember that you will have to take into account both the fantastic and mundane risks of your world. While in an invented world the characters only had to worry about dragons and evil wizards, now they may have to contend with muggers, drive by shootings and other problems of the real world. You can get around some of that by setting the story in an earlier time period, but if you choose to do that, you're going to have to do more research to make sure you have the time as well as the place accurate. For first attempts it's probably best to work with a setting as close to home as you can manage it. In fact, you may want to set your story at home, in the town or city you live in, just so you know you have the facts right. Most places have some odd stories that can be used as fodder for a fantasy story.
Now matter where and when you decide to set your story, urban fantasy is challenging to write, but it can be a very interesting genre. Give it a try and see what you can do. |
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From: A thinker never sleeps
Good newsletter, I think when it comes to writing death in stories people have a tendency to be too flowery, ignoring the fact that many people tend to react in different ways to death, some people get hysterical but some people just shut off completely or others get angry at their own futility. Death can be overdone in stories and needs to be addressed as a natural if not painful part of life that doesn't always mean all out hysteria or misery. There is usually feelings of guilt and even though people don't like to admit it, sometimes feelings of relief especially after a long illness.
Yes, reactions to death from different characters should be different too. Always consider what is appropriate for the character when determining reactions to any event in a story. Of course, in a fantasy story, not all deaths will necessarily be natural, so that will require a different way of looking at things too.
From: scribbler
first off, sir michael seems like a very angry person, I enjoyed your usless power ideas. But enough on that. Great newsletter this week, I had never thought much about death and afterlife in my stories but now you've inspired me to add that into my latest novel. Thanks! :]
If the article inspires you, then I've done my job. Thanks for the feedback.
From: nebroc
How old should your character be?
That can very well depend on his personality, abilities and disabilities.
If you want your character to be a wise person that is very skilled in the art of magic then you might want him relatively old, for wisdom often takes many years to get!
However, if you character is to be strong and fast than it might be best to have him quite young - you don't see many old super-strong characters in books and movies do you?
It might just be easier to say that the character doesn't know how old he/she is - But you better have a good reason why!
Whatever the case, it's not a good idea to have a character that is thousands upon thousands of years old, someone that doesn't age and has lived that long would be god-like! And someone that's god-like can easily spoil a book!
Anyway, have a think about that next time your creating a character for a story!
All very good points about the age of a character. I will offer one counter example for you, Chi-eun of the Destroyer series of books. He is a master of a very obscure martial arts style and is often portrayed as superhuman, despite his advanced age. I absolutely agree on the 1000 year old beings. If a lead character is that old, then there should be some sort of limitations on him or her, such as Nathan Brazil in the Well of Souls series, who at the start has forgotten who he is. There are ways to downplay the power of ancient and even godlike characters within a story, however generlly it's best to just not inculde them unless the story requires them. Thanks for the food for though.
From: nebroc
I just want to say tanx for these Newsletters!
They have given me ideas and helped me write some parts of my stories!
I have also seem my name on some of the Newsletter feedback too!
Keep writing them, they mean the world to us WDC members! :)
It has been my policy since I started writing these newsletters to always include the feedback that is sent to me. I hope I haven't left anyone out, because responding to the feedback is my favorite part of the task. And I plan to keep writing them as long as I can keep coming up with topics of interest to the readers.
From: Strange Wulf
I know this is probably late (I'm terrible at keeping up with my email here!), but I just thought I should mention that sometimes combining those models of death can make things interesting, if a bit confusing. If you're going to do that though, I recommend adding one or more gatekeepers, who don't appreciate those pesky mortals trying to cheat them, or worse, mettle in their affairs!
Those necromancers had best watch out for the followers of Anubis or Hades, otherwise they might find themselves in a tight fix indeed.
Yes, combining models leads to interesting and original results when done properly. Just make sure to distinguish the gatekeepers, and also be sure to enlighten the reader about who the different models apply to.
As for necromancers, Hades might not mind as long as the spirits of the dead were only borrowed and returned later, so they could suffer even more in the gloom of his realm. Anubis, however, well I don't even want to think about what Anubis would do to a necromancer.
That's all for now, tune in in another four weeks. |
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Fantasy: June 21, 2006 Issue [#1101]
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