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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12836-Healing.html
Fantasy: November 13, 2024 Issue [#12836]




 This week: Healing
  Edited by: Robert Waltz Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.
         —Hippocrates

In the villages in Europe, there are still healers who tell stories.
         —Yannick Noah

The best of healers is good cheer.
         —Pindar


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B000FC0SIM
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99


Letter from the editor

Whatever your Fantasy setting, chances are its inhabitants, like those of us in consensus reality, are susceptible to disease and/or injury.

It's natural to want to fix such issues when they occur, and we've been trying to do that for at least as long as we've been human. There's even evidence  Open in new Window. that some nonhuman animals work to heal themselves or others.

For much of human history, attempts at healing relied on folklore derived from trial and error, as well as, perhaps, appeals to spirits or gods. So if your story is set in the past, or on some other world, there might not be much science backing up the healer's toolkit.

Lots of Fantasy settings, particularly games, tend to feature some form of magical healing. Someone is sick or injured? There's a potion or a spell for that. This works in games to keep the action flowing, but it may not be reasonable to include in books or movies. For one thing, the stakes are much lower if your character can visit a temple to regrow a lost limb, or cure their pox.

Generally, the kind of treatments available depend on the overall technological (or magical) level of a society, so any healing should be consistent with that. While it's possible, and sometimes interesting, to include anachronisms (such as, perhaps, a modern hospital stuck in the 14th century), there should probably be a good reason for such things.

So ask yourself: how would your characters handle, say, a snakebite? A broken arm? Or something as simple as a common cold? What herbs, poultices, prayers, chants, techniques, etc. can be brought to bear on the issue?

There's even a common fantasy trope involving the protagonist having to undertake an epic adventure to find the one flower that can cure a loved one's malady, so these questions aren't necessarily just incidental ones; sometimes, it's the entire plot.


Editor's Picks

Some Fantasy for your perusal:

 My Travels in the Andasar Desert, Part 1 Open in new Window. [E]
A fictional account of one man's journeys through a fantasy realm
by Hingle McCringleberry Author Icon


 
Image Protector
The Woman in the Woods Open in new Window. [18+]
Things are not always as they are described.
by Espinado Author Icon


 Fly Soup Open in new Window. [E]
A whimsical story of like attracting like.
by Ruth Author Icon


 
Image Protector
The Boy Dressed in White Open in new Window. [E]
A boy falls from the sky.
by sheepies Author Icon


Pawn En Prise Open in new Window. [13+]
"Summon your family. -All- of your family..."
by silverfeathers Author Icon


 The Warlock's Holiday Season Open in new Window. [13+]
Written for the Slapstick And Sorcery contest
by Ravenwand, Rising Star! Author Icon


Image Protector
The People of Glass  Open in new Window. [18+]
Grieving 11-year-old Sigrun must find someone to answer the needs of the innocent.
by Joto-Kai Author Icon

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!



Ask & Answer

Last time, in "HarvestOpen in new Window., I talked about the sow/tend/reap cycle.

Quick-Quill Author Icon: Here is a good story about the sower and the seed.

Submitted item:
 
Image Protector
The Sower Open in new Window. [E]
A real life lesson of the Sower and the Seed
by Quick-Quill Author Icon


         Thanks for reading and offering an item!

So that's it for me for November. See you next month! Until then,

DREAM ON!!!



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