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This week: City Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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A culture, we all know, is made by its cities.
-Derek Walcott
All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim.
=Christopher Morley
And one by one the nights between our separated cities are joined to the night that unites us.
-Pablo Neruda |
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Cities
In "Fantasy Newsletter (August 31, 2011)" , last month, I wrote about the link between alcohol and civilization. This time, I'm here to talk about what makes a civilization a civilization: cities.
Literally, "civilization" refers to the process of forming cities; to the skills and cultural mores required to be able to live in cities.
We're so used to these things that we often take them for granted and, in fact, extend such cultural details to our suburbs and rural areas in the form of things like zoning regulations and laws, the purpose of which is to create a set of rules that help people to get along with each other.
A city is much like a living entity: It has inputs and outputs; it's born, grows and eventually dies; sometimes it gets sick; and each city has its own unique defining characteristics. It needs organization and infrastructure (why, yes, I am a civil engineer in my day job; how'd you guess?) and maintenance.
No one knows for certain where the first city was, but the most ancient cities known exist in Mesopotamia, the area around present-day Iraq. These cities were probably not much bigger than what we would consider a small town, but their significance was not in their size but in the advances in human social evolution that they cradled. Where before groups of humans lived by hunting, gathering or (later) cultivating their own food, the city facilitated trade and specialization. Now, a human could concentrate on skills other than that of agriculture or hunting, instead trading the result of that skill (say, smithing, for instance) for food.
Get enough specialized people together and they begin to cooperate and compete with each other, and before long you have people (okay, they were probably slaves at the time, but still, people) whose job it is to maintain the city.
The advent of the city was probably analogous to the leap from single-celled to multicellular organisms in evolutionary terms.
But this is background. In fantasy (or science fiction) writing, we have the ability to make up our own cities, to imbue them with the characteristics we need, to populate them with interesting creatures. Back when I was playing D&D, one of my favorite things to do was to create cities, with their houses and roads and temples and castles and monorails (yes, monorails - every city needs one.)
Also, ruined cities can be fascinating, both in real life and in writing.
There are, of course, disadvantages to living in cities - that close a press of people can make disease spread faster; sanitation can be a problem (as anyone who's been in New York during one of their infrequent but memorable garbage collector strikes can attest); and an individual is often drowned out by the needs of the society. But the city can also be a vibrant center of discovery and trade. Often, it's both, in varying degrees.
So next time you need a city, think about it as you would a character: give it a personality, a history, strengths and weaknesses. And be sure to include bars. |
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Last time, in "Fantasy Newsletter (August 31, 2011)" , I talked about beer.
ellen_granger9: Hm... Fantasy and Alcohol reminds me of that peculiar habit me and my friends had in high school- since we were not allowed to drink any sort of beverage, and we also vowed to limit ourselves to social drinking, not "drunk-ing" when we'd grow up. When school got over, we'd open our water bottles like the were champagne bottles, and gulp down some tequila or vanilla vodka. Then, screw our face and smack our lips and act woozy.
Then I told my Dad, when he bought a few soda bottles to go with his collection of wines and whisky for social drinking, that our favourite fruit juice was apple juice, because it looked all 'grown-up'. He couldn't help but laugh, when I thought he knew he was supposed to chide me. Then, I scared my Mom the same way, and when I told her I was kidding, she said she didn't want any more 'apple juice' !!
Haha! Sweet memories.
Not allowed to drink any sort of beverage? Wow, what were you, camels?  Thanks for the comment!
bertiebrite hoping for peace  : I was a Dungeon Master for a number of years. My very first habitation model centered on a tavern with a very rich history. The history aided in the story telling and the location was perfect for introducing new characters and plots. You're right, there's nothing like a tavern or bar to get to know your characters and their traits.
And if you're lucky, the tavern begins to take on a life of its own.
Satuawany  : Just the other day, a friend and I were talking about alcohol being the reason humans survived (instead of all dying of this plague or that one). Very nicely put together, this newsletter. Oh! And loved your friend's Germany story.
I'll let him know!
Swilltastic  : I loved this week's letter from the editor. It didn't occur to me until now that a lot of fantasy/sci-fi stories do in fact have a key scene in a tavern. Looks like the tavern is a good way to keep the plot going no matter what the genre! Thanks :)
And thank you for reading!
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : [submitted item: "Planet Animalus" [18+]]On Planet Animalus, alcohol is reserved for special occasions. (As it tends to make the majority of the planet drunk quicker than humans.) However, there is Carbonated fruit and vegetable juices for herbivores and a blood-and-water mixture for carnivores.
Well, down the hatch. (Drinks a glass of blood and water.) Tasty.
Okay, ew. I'll take my blood straight up, thanks!
Sarita : I enjoyed your newsletter on alcohol. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I found myself craving a good bourbon and some conversation. Thanks for the read!
I just tried Buffalo Trace for the first time this past weekend, and now I find it hard to imagine drinking any other kind of bourbon.
And that's it for me for September - see you next month! Until then,
DREAM ON!!! |
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Fantasy: September 28, 2011 Issue [#4638]
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