  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
billwilcox
John~Ashen 
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Stop and Take the Time to Smell the Zantharbs
Fantasy Scenery
In most fantasy stories, the characters travel. It's fairly uncommon for an entire story, particularly novel length, to keep the main character stuck in a single city, let alone a single building. As such, the time will come when you will have to describe the areas the characters pass through. What sorts of plant and animal life is there? What impressive natural formations do they see? Are there any man made sights of interest in the area? The question then becomes, how much detail should you go into?
There are two schools of thought on this question. (Well okay there are probably more like 5836 schools of thought, I don't think there are ever just two schools of thought about anything, but two is what I'm doing. Let's say there's two extreme views and the others fall somewhere in between.) First, since it is a fantasy world, everything should be fantastic. As such, you'll need to name and describe everything. Don't have normal wolves, have wolf-like animals with antlers and call them something less mundane than antlerwolves. Don't have roses, have something that looks sort of like a rose, but is deep violet and instead of thorns has tiny nodules that emit a substance sort of like honey. This isn't the real world so distance yourself from it as much as possible. The second extreme is that you should save yourself and your readers as much effort as you can and just use every day names and things.
Personally, I fall between these two extremes. I feel that, yes, these are fantasy worlds, and so there should be things that are not found in the real world. However, the people of this fantasy world will be speaking English (because I write in English, and my readers are likely to be reading in English) and so it's just fine to use real English words for a great majority of things the characters see and do, even the antlerwolves.
The rule of thumb I generally follow for scenery description is the rule of three. When the characters pass through a new type of terrain, there should be three details presented to set the general scene, one for each of three different senses. So a forest they ride through might be bright and cheery with the sun shining through the loose canvas overhead. Birds may sing in the trees above, while the pleasant scent of fresh leaves may abound. If the character of the place changes, the characters come across a dark section of the forest where they feel eyes watching them, then another three different details are in order. This works best for things that can be described in real world terms. Most people have enough idea what a forest is that if you give them three details they can fill in the rest. It may also help to name a few things they see. A forest with elms that has robins and squirrels in the trees is much different from a forest of dark pines with spiny lizards hiding in the branches waiting to leap into the faces of unwary travelers.
For the truly fantastic, there is no option but to name and describe them. Show some restraint, however. Provide only as much information as is needed to set the scene. Don't spend five pages describing the tiny squirrel-dragon that is just in place to remind the reader that the characters are indeed in a fey forest. You won't have many more readers if you do. The following would suffice. "Varrneth cocked her hand and made a soft crooning sort of growl. The glowing green eyes shrunk a bit, but then grew, and emerged from safety of the leaves and branches. They were set in a tiny reptilian head which sat upon a vaguely rodent like body covered in scales. Emerging from the creatures shoulders was a pair of wings, the same sparkling emerald color as the rest of it. 'It's a squirrel dragon,' Varrneth said as the creature alighted on her wrist. 'They watch our ancestral forests for signs of danger. What one is doing this far north, I've no idea..." Just a few sentences gives sufficient information for your reader to set the scene firmly.
The same applies to natural formations, most of which can be described as looking, sounding and smelling like something else. Dragon Rock barely needs a description, while Sunblock Wood is clearly a wood with a thick canopy above. For man made structures, you may need a bit more, but as before, don't go overboard. A few sentences giving a general impression is always better than ten paragraphs of exacting detail. It interrupts the story less and involves the reader more. That should always be the goal in any description.
So, in conclusion, when writing about fantasy scenery, use real world terms where applicable. Try to come up with at least two or three fantastic elements to any region the characters pass through. Work on providing enough detail the all readers can form a coherent picture without overwhelming them with detail. If you remember those guidelines, you should do well in your scenery descriptions. |
Since this will be the first Fantasy newsletter of the New Year, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of the site's newest writers. So enjoy the All New Writers' Editor's Picks.
When something is declared illegal, there may be a reason. Interesting take on cyberspace and jacking in to virtual reality.
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Some things are meant to stay hidden, others are kept hidden despite their best efforts. Interesting ideas in this one, developed just well enough to let the readers come up with their own answers.
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Be careful when you search through the secret places of your house, you can never be sure what you might find there.
Interesting story of a teacher's poor behaviour and revenge from an unlikely source.
Some places are dangerous to seek out.
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Realistic Fantasy and an excellent example of the sub-genre too. |
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
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From: scribbler
everytime I read this newsletter I learn something else to help me towards creating the perfect fantasy world which is so difficult because you literally have to create everything from scratch. Holidays, I had never though about those before. Just think of the depth in setting and character development I can create! Thanks again 
Thanks for the feedback. This is why I write articles like this. Creating a fantasy world is a difficult process, and you have to think of a lot of different things to make it work, so even having a list of things that are often forgotten can help. Keep on working at it, and let me know how it turns out. I'd love to read your work.
From: aknovelist
I am interested in entering some contests. Question: How Do I do it?
The answer depends on the contest. For the most part, in order to enter a contest, you must first save your work into your portfolio. To do this, click on the 'Writing' link at the top of every page.
Once you have saved your item take note of your 7 digit item number. Then go to the contest, which is generally set up as a message forum. Post a message with your item link. In general contests request an ITEM or a BITEM link. The format is basically the same for each. Either
"Invalid Item"
or
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with the ####### filled in by your 7 digit item number. Hope that helped.
From: bazilbob
Lol, that's a really gd point, why do you get festivals about heroes defeating a super villain in fantasy when they really aren't like that at all! I can't wait to make up a likely festival to add a bit of colour to my fantasy world!
It doesn't take many, in fact just one or two will usually do. Glad you approve.
From: John~Ashen
great "holiday" newsletter... another common fantasy holiday is "New Year" when everyone is counted as 1 year older (instead of individual birthdays)
That's a great possible holiday John. I'm almost embarrassed I didn't think of it myself. For a long time that was the norm in Korea or so I'm told. They now celebrate individual birthdays, but the old New Year day is typically marked although not a holiday anymore. I believe it is in February although I am not sure on that. Glad you enjoyed it.
From: Strange Wulf
Well, great. =P Now I gotta think up holidays for my worlds. *sighs* Thanks for the "homework". Just hope I can come up with some real ones...
As stated above, one or two will do. In point of fact, I only mention points that are fequently ignored or handled poorly in my opinion. They are frequently things that I forget about too. Never feel that you are required to include anything I bring up in these newsletters in your stories. Of course if you choose to do so, I'd love to hear about it too. Keep on writing.
That about wraps things up for today. Tune in next time when hopefully I can come up with something else. |
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Fantasy: January 04, 2006 Issue [#802]
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