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Fantasy: February 08, 2012 Issue [#4866]

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Fantasy


 This week: What Do They Read?
  Edited by: Satuawany Author IconMail Icon
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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

Think of all the different mediums we have for reading. Comic books or graphic novels, novels, illustrated children's books, biographies, history, textbooks, magazines and newspapers. There are self-help books, religious books, inspirational vignettes, published journals, instructional booklets, and role-playing game books.

These and more make up one of our oldest forms of sharing information. Knowing if your world has these kinds of things, and how they use them, can go a long way in fleshing it out. And knowing which kinds of popular (or unpopular) information-gathering and entertainment your characters prefer can fill them out.


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

First of all, is there anything to read on your world? It's possible yours are a telepathic people with an instinctual history they've never had to write down. An instant sharing of stories and thoughts could negate any need for a solid way of sharing them.

There are fantasy stories where writing is forbidden, and it's usually because that form of sharing ideas was seen as dangerous to someone in power. That doesn't have to be why there is no written word, however. Maybe yours is a people who put no value in such things, for one reason or another.

It is true that once something gets written down and passed out of its sphere of origin, it is subject to a vast array of interpretations, some of them likely far from the original author's intent. Your people could have seen evil in that, or pointlessness.

Or they may cherish the beauty of multiple and unforeseen interpretations, which moves us on to the worlds where there is reading material, and those who take advantage of it.

With the written word comes the possibility of calligraphy and illustrations and formatting. Or the complete disinterest in such things in a world where the story is all that matters and any embellishment is seen as distracting from that.


*Bullet* History

A lot of fantasy tales show signs of a history as elaborate as our own, and there are many that show off records of it. Scrolls and heavy books, mostly. An occasional mystic or oracle, but we're trying to focus on the written word, here.

Who are the people who read such things out of pure curiosity or pleasure? I'm not talking about when it's paramount that one or more of the characters go on a research binge for the sake of the plot. And I'm not talking about the "convenience" character who just "happens to be" a history buff and can supply the main cast with just the things they need.

Or, if it is that character, how is that fact about her integrated into her personality? Think about how she came to be so interested. Do they have schools or tutors that require they learn history and this person just happened upon something within it that meshed and never parted? Even if that never makes it into the story, you will know it, and it will color the way you write the character.

Also think about how they record their history, and in what form. Is it based on archeological finds and study? Or has it always been written as it happened? Are their accounts only from the winners of wars, only from the upper echelons of society, or do they protect writings from all walks of life?

Wouldn't that be something?

Scrolls and books deteriorate, though they can be preserved for centuries. Still, in order to copy them, one has to write each word, without flaws. And there's always the chance the copyist skips a line or decides to rewrite one because it just seems too convoluted the way it is.

If they carve it in stone, a simple rubbing makes a copy (though then there would be those who wanted to copy the copy.)

Can you think of a way to record history in such a way that the original text has the best possible chance of surviving? How would having something like that change your world?

(Religious books can be put in this category, of course, depending on the religion.)


*Bullet* Instructional

"How to make a shirt."

"The best way to age cheese."

I supposed it's generally assumed that with the medieval-esque fantasy worlds, you have masters teaching apprentices, and that you have parents (or other mentors/guardians) teaching children. But does anyone ever think to write down the best ways they've found of doing things?

How easy is it for your general populace to purchase, steal or otherwise attain such written instructions? And how reliable can they trust them to be?

Religious texts can pop up here, too, especially with religions that put forth rules for spiritual progression and laws of conduct. It makes sense that these would be recorded in some transportable medium, such as books or scrolls, but doesn't that open the door for forgers to make intentionally altered copies? How would they protect against that?

Would followers of a religion have short reminders of those instructions? Perhaps a plaque beside their door or an amulet.


*Bullet* Entertainment for adults

Oh, the possibilities. You have your circulated newssheets, which I suppose could cycle up to the "History" section at some point, though I hope this wouldn't be the only way your world recorded history.

Then again, a world where that was the case could be an interesting one, indeed.

With newssheets, how might they get circulated? Perhaps certain people pay to have them delivered to their homes, but maybe they're short things that can be stapled to walls throughout town or on posts along roads.

Magazines can bridge the cap between the news, unabashed gossip, and fictional tales. If the technology of your world allows for it, they can even be a way to share art and impressions of landmarks, buildings, and portraits.

Moving onto books, we might run into biographical items (which can go back up to the history section as well), fictional stories, and poetry.

In this area, what sort of content is in vogue? What kinds are scandalous? Does being scandalous make them sought-after---while being abhorred in public, of course---or truly avoided except by certain people? Just what makes them scandalous and who are those certain people?

Think about our world and how you think of the people who read certain things. The Twilight series is popular enough to have been made into movies, but hardly anyone I know admits to liking it. Are there stories like that on your world?

Do your characters have any "guilty pleasures" in these areas?


*Bullet* Entertainment for children

We've had Dr. Seuss and Lewis Carroll and countless others who entertained us as children. What do your children have, so far as stories and poetry go? Would they be like the ones we have today, with lots of colorful illustrations?

Might they be interactive, like pop-up books and the ones with pockets and sliding paper doors with surprise pictures behind them?

Is there even a market for that kind of thing on your world? Or perhaps family members make them for the children.



How do all these affect your world?

I constantly hear people quoting popular films, songs and books. Quotes appear in signature lines, carved into buildings, and graffitied onto fences and boxcars.

Where are those things in your world?

Do the children act out the stories they know? Furthermore, do their toys reflect the popular tales, the way ours do? How many kids have dolls or outfits based on their favorite characters (whether these items were bought or homemade)?

I've filled this newsletter with a lot of questions, but that's because pondering them is what inspires. Hearing my answers to them would probably just make you wince.

It would be ill-advised to try to answer all of them, especially within your story, but they're there to encourage you to think about these aspects of our world, and how your world differs. From there, it's my hope you come up with more questions you need to be asking, specifically for your projects.


Editor's Picks

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1831182 by Not Available.

 He Came With the Book Open in new Window. (13+)
a fantasy written for the ABC story contest--received an Honorable Mention
#998398 by ridinghhood-p.boutilier Author IconMail Icon

 Mission Revealed? Open in new Window. (13+)
Flash Fiction: Write a story which includes a small book, gloves, and something yellow
#1365404 by bluehats#5 Author IconMail Icon

Legacy Open in new Window. (13+)
One good book is worth more than all the swords and shields in the realm.
#1666652 by Jeff Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1824908 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1649355 by Not Available.

 Baroea Chapter 1: The Sea-Green Book Open in new Window. (13+)
Chapter One of a YA fantasy book about a girl who seeks her dead brother in the Otherworld
#1820116 by SusannaF Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

Notes from readers of my previous newsletter, "RoarOpen in new Window.:

Soulhaven Author Icon writes:
'Remembering who you are (as a writer) doesn't mean, "Stop growing."' - - I think that's a fabulous quote to start the year on (even without the "as a writer" bit). I'm trying to do that to start this year - take the time to ponder who I *AM*, not just what I need to DO. I've been thinking about what I do for so long, now. But I've always admired people who just seem to BE.
And, yep, I started writing fantasy because I didn't want to set my story in my home town, and I don't have the budget to travel. Doesn't mean I don't research. It just loosened the need to know all there is to know about where to shop and who serves the best coffee.
And when I first started writing, my world wasn't going to have magic, because I have a background in science (read: research & reality). Of course, since then I have found a balance for the two. And there's the kicker: balance.

Balance is the kicker, but it can be an adventure of its own. And I feel like I'm in a constant battle to remember who I am over what I need to do, so you're not alone!


bertiebrite hoping for peace Author Icon writes:
I wrote fantasy at first as an escape. My childhood was anything but "fun" and I wanted out. My way was fantasy.
As I matured and learned what was a good story and what was not, I realized that research has a strong place. I have written articles on the blessings and powers of research and I know first hand how important it is to know that if there are two moons, there is a double pull on gravity.
That's important news, that's the power of research. Highly important when you want to "make things up."

Yes, it is! And it can be so fascinating. And, most of all, inspiring. I can't count how many times a little research like that has helped with some plot snafu that had challenged me. (Hey, I love a good challenge, but I love resolving them even better.)



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