 Fantasy: October 19, 2011 Issue [#4677] |
  Fantasy
This week: Halloween Inspiration Edited by: Satuawany  
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| With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to put together a newsletter that combined looking forward to the upcoming holiday with working on our fantasy stories. I think about the contents of this newsletter just about every year, and they always bring me new ideas for world-building. I hope that going over them does the same for you. |
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Halloween is a holiday with its roots in all kinds of traditions, as are most major Americanized holidays. Let's look at some of the elements of how we celebrate Halloween and how we can draw from them to enrich our fantasy tales.
 Ghost Stories
A lot of us like to be scared, in a safe environment. And some of us really get into scaring others. This time of year is a great time to ponder how this mentality might play into your fantasy world.
We have our urban legends and our ghost stories. Like the one about the babysitter who keeps getting phone calls from the "bad guy," only to discover the calls are coming from inside the house. In another, there's the girl and the boy out in a parked car when they hear about the psychopath with a hook in place of one hand. They drive off with some trouble only to find a hook dangling from the car-door handle later. And each tale has numerous versions, as they've been told and retold.
So many people claim, "This happened to my cousin's friend," or something similar.
Don't forget the urban legends of mysterious alligators in the sewers and the Jersey Devil. Implausible stories of sometimes (surely) imaginary creatures, and cautionary tales that could not have really happened (could they have?) spark our imaginations. It's easy to infer they would do the same for our characters.
These kinds of tales shape a culture. They make moral points (Don't go making out with your boyfriend in a car, or a hooked evil guy might get you), and give people the controlled scares that gets the adrenaline going.
What kind of cautionary stories and dark tall tales might the peoples of your world tell?
The Masquerade
Halloween isn't the only time the people of a culture dress up as something they are not. From what I've been able to gather, we only started dressing up for Halloween in the early 1900's, but there were masquerade balls before that.
It stands to reason that cultures on fantasy worlds would think of reasons to dress as something they are not every once in a while---in a socially acceptable way, that is.
This could be a great way to introduce other aspects of your world. A character could go to a party or other masquerade event as some person from a different culture. Perhaps a diplomat or warrior class that is easily recognizable by their dress. Or not so easily recognizable, so that there is reason for another to ask about the costume. And that could turn out to be excellent foreshadowing for that kind of character to make an appearance later.
This could even go back to featuring what scares your people. If they take the Halloween tradition of dressing as their versions of demons and serial killers, it could be another great way of rounding out the attitudes of your world.
Begging
Versions of trick-or-treating have been going on since the middle ages (when people would go door-to-door begging for food just before All Soul's Day.) Can you imagine a world where beggars are given specific days to beg, and they have to come up with, basically, sales pitches?
When trick-or-treating first took off in America, there were a lot of people who were angry about the whole thing because they were expected to hand out treats to these begging children. If the people of your world have a certain day when begging is structured and socially acceptable, what are the circumstances? How do the people being begged feel about it?
It's another thing that could play into your plot. In such an expected routine, the antagonist might find a way to slip something to your main character(s), get access to a victim, or pass along information to other antagonists.
Props
Halloween has Jack-o-lanterns, monster idols, and other decorations. The Jack-o-lantern has a few stories behind it, most dealing with a poor sod named Jack making a deal with the devil, and winding up being cursed to wander the earth looking for a resting place after he died. He gets a lantern in the form of an ever-burning ember he puts in a turnip.
The rest of these decorations are generally there to play the angle of what scares us. Even though many Halloween decorations are "cute," we still put mutilated fruit on our porches and drape faux spider-webs from our bushes. These are usually the kinds of things we'd be embarrassed about our neighbors seeing. But this one time of the year, it's socially acceptable to have a yard full of monsters. (Except for maybe Christmas, but we won't go there. I can't help it; Santa Claus scares me.)
What about your worlds? Are there any times of year---occasions, holidays---where something that would normally be an unsavory practice is suddenly the norm, or even expected of upstanding citizens?
Also on the subject of props, how do they come about? We have major manufacturers spinning out gads of fake vampire teeth every year, so who would make such things on your world? Would the items be such things as the people could make themselves? Is there an influx of the materials for certain props when that time approaches?
Do they have to deal with an influx of the next holiday's supplies getting in the way of the one that's about to happen? I, for one, would love that. While perusing Halloween accessories the other day, I took a step and found myself surrounded by green and red. After blinking a few times, I realized it was all Christmas trees, snowmen, and Santas---and they weren't even evil Santas.
Despite my opinion on the matter, I know some people who like that they can already look forward to Christmas, like they can't wait to skip over Halloween. Either way you play it, it shows a little bit more about your character.
What other Halloween elements can you think of that bring you inspiration about your characters' world? We have hay rides; they have ________? We have Ferris wheels and funnel cake at our carnivals; they have ________?
Pondering how our Halloween traditions came about---from much more than just the Celtic holiday, Samhain---shows us a wide span of influences.
These traditions didn't have to come together in Halloween, but it makes a good case for past cultural practices to affect the customs of your characters during your story's timeline. And those customs can shape your characters, give you an interesting setting, and play into the plot.
 Last month, in "You're Not That Sick" , I mentioned that I'm looking for stories that break stereotypical speculative fiction gender roles. I still am.  See the end of that newsletter's "Letter from the Editor" for more information, including possible awards. |
Here's a tale combining Halloween and cultural mythology:
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A story of rituals, birdlike and forgotten:
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Sci-fi holiday, resembling ancient practices here on Earth:
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Here's a Halloween contest that gives you the freedom to explore:
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This steampunk contest has a Halloween theme this month, and is open enough that you can play with steampunk versions of similar holidays:
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You can play with how your world might bend the scary stories you know in this one:
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This contest also caught my eye because of its theme and potential:
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I am sorry for snottifying your breakfast, but glad to have you reading!