Fanfare! For all you Fantasy Writers out there...

[EPHahn]

I am a writer of speculative or science fiction, which is, you know, awesome... BUT can I just give props to all the FANTASY writers out there????

Man, seriously, pat yourselves on the back! I am in awe. I am reading some very spectacular YA fantasy currently and it has dawned on me just how complex and creative the Fantasy Writer's imagination must undoubtedly be.

You create entire worlds, languages, maps, abilities, cultures, histories.... It's incredible.

*bows to you all*

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Aww that's sweet, but in truth, what isn't fact must be fiction. So all fiction is, in some small part, fantasy. Whether it be fantasy, historical, romantic or other. Doesn't every author create the concept, premise and plot line for their book? We all create our own worlds when we write.
I envy the sci-fi world. Sure, I can create worlds of dragons, myths and monsters, but all that technical stuff baffles me. I watch shows like Farscape, Andromeda, Star Trek/ Wars/ Gate and marvel at how someone designed all those gadgets and gizmo's, found a way to make it work AND stand up to the scrutiny of their technophile audiences.

 

[Karen Gray]

Aww that's sweet, but in truth, what isn't fact must be fiction. So all fiction is, in some small part, fantasy. Whether it be fantasy, historical, romantic or other. Doesn't every author create the concept, premise and plot line for their book? We all create our own worlds when we write.
I envy the sci-fi world. Sure, I can create worlds of dragons, myths and monsters, but all that technical stuff baffles me. I watch shows like Farscape, Andromeda, Star Trek/ Wars/ Gate and marvel at how someone designed all those gadgets and gizmo's, found a way to make it work AND stand up to the scrutiny of their technophile audiences.

I whole heartedly agree with @Jennifer Stone on this one World building, no matter the genre, is bloody hard work

 

[Alistair Roberts]

All true, and thanks for saying so, everyone! Sometimes we get bogged down in the details and the struggle, and forget we are actually creating something ;-)

 

[EPHahn]

Hm. So very true. I will also pat my own back, then. We so rarely get the opportunity for that.

 

[Stephen Drake]

"Redshirts" by John Scalzi put a unique spin on that...

 

[Meerkat]

Aww that's sweet, but in truth, what isn't fact must be fiction. So all fiction is, in some small part, fantasy. Whether it be fantasy, historical, romantic or other. Doesn't every author create the concept, premise and plot line for their book? We all create our own worlds when we write.
I envy the sci-fi world. Sure, I can create worlds of dragons, myths and monsters, but all that technical stuff baffles me. I watch shows like Farscape, Andromeda, Star Trek/ Wars/ Gate and marvel at how someone designed all those gadgets and gizmo's, found a way to make it work AND stand up to the scrutiny of their technophile audiences.

This is so true. I have been putting off a sci-fi novel that I want to write because of the science I'd be required to know for it. It's not that science doesn't interest me -- it's that I had minimal schooling in it and find it overwhelming.

But . . . last night I finally manned up and bought the first book I'd need for research.

 

[Kelly Michelle Baker]

Ephahn, thank you! No one ever says that. It IS complex and difficult. But to me, it's no more difficult than writing any sort of fiction. I would LOVE to write a story that takes place in the real world, but can't. All of my ideas are science fiction or fantasy. I guess everyone's brain is wired differently!

 

[Jay Aitch]

One could argue, that even non-fiction is, by the nature of the 'Verse, fantasy. The words, definitions, intentions, even what are considered facts, are entirely subjective. If quantum physics is to be believed than nothing is inherently objective, thus all is made up, created, imagined, ergo: fantasy.

 

[booknut77]

Thank you. I accept the compliment, even though I find it true that all fiction is work.

 

[AliG]

Fantasy is such a riot to write though. Taking all these wild ideas, making them work, creating new boundaries, weaving bizarre concepts into a new world. Non-fantasy fiction I find tougher. Lots of research had to go into my detective story; researched the inside of my head for the fantasy books.

 

[AuthorOfLast]

I whole heartedly agree with @Jennifer Stone on this one World building, no matter the genre, is bloody hard work

Creating a new world of believable characters and the other things is what we all do. Writing is the most difficult and important part of the human culture

 

[Jay Aitch]

Fantasy is such a riot to write though. Taking all these wild ideas, making them work, creating new boundaries, weaving bizarre concepts into a new world. Non-fantasy fiction I find tougher. Lots of research had to go into my detective story; researched the inside of my head for the fantasy books.

... and that's why I love fantasy.

 

[Richard Sutton]

It's a double edged sword, forged of Valyrian steel. World-building is so wonderfully satisfying, but it can too easily get bogged down in details of the seasonings of the boiled ox or the argument for the older Myrish lace techniques or the back stories of the minor houses whose bloodlines that go back to the First Men (making absolutely no difference to the story). I love to be immersed, but sometimes, it's also nice to get a breath... it can be very hard, too to go back and edit out all those carefully polished jewels when you realize that not even your aunt Mary will appreciate your commitment to detail. Actually, your obsession with details. My obsession with details. I was going to try and get a full "named character" count in the completed portion of GRR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, but lost count after 113. How he can juggle all those threads and keep them true to themselves is amazing. It also explains why his books come out so slowly.

 

[AuthorOfLast]

It's a double edged sword, forged of Valyrian steel. World-building is so wonderfully satisfying, but it can too easily get bogged down in details of the seasonings of the boiled ox or the argument for the older Myrish lace techniques or the back stories of the minor houses whose bloodlines that go back to the First Men (making absolutely no difference to the story). I love to be immersed, but sometimes, it's also nice to get a breath... it can be very hard, too to go back and edit out all those carefully polished jewels when you realize that not even your aunt Mary will appreciate your commitment to detail. Actually, your obsession with details. My obsession with details. I was going to try and get a full "named character" count in the completed portion of GRR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, but lost count after 113. How he can juggle all those threads and keep them true to themselves is amazing. It also explains why his books come out so slowly.

Yes I am always amazed by George r.r. Martin
I am in the stage where I am annoyed with myself for creating a new Callander for a fantasy story but it is easy to get around by avoiding any mention of the month or year too often. IIt makes writing so much fun when you complicate the story a bit. Also, I doubt that anyone can plagiarise or continue writing once George r.r. Martin passes on. The same goes for terry pratchett. Such great and powerful imagination. It's pure genius.

 

[Karen Gray]

Absolutely @AuthorOfLast it'ss bloody hard work with so many characters but in the end I feel it gives the story a richness that you just can't get with a handful of folk.

I found myself in the mad situation the other day where I jumped back to add another point of view for back story of one of the pseudo - main characters and added 2 more! I left it because they will be important in the 2nd series but I was like "bloody hell 3 for the price of one." I think my main character count (point of view count) is up to 10 with 25 secondary characters and several more supporting characters. And I intend to add points of view per book

The trouble with so many points of view is that readers love it but agents and publishers don't. I can switch point of view every 1000 words or so or not in 6-10,000 words depending on what the story calls for. It creates a fast pace that so far has gotten a big thumbs up from my readers and yet it's the main reason I don't have an agent.

At the end of the day we will never please everyone. The fact that Martin has done well gives me a lot of hope so I will keep going the way I'm going and see where it takes me

 

[AuthorOfLast]

I'm going to bring back a few characters that I had to cut down on when I was told by my lecturer in higher English that too many people complicated the story and confused the readers. It depends on what the situation calls for. If you are setting the story in a school or place where you would expect there to be like 30 talking parts then that would make it a believable story. I had like three guys with glasses who were called Colin, Tom and Perry. I squashed them all in one as Perry. Kind of the opposite of you Karen xxx

 

[Karen Gray]

The most I have had talking at once is 5. Though it takes a lot of juggling for it to work. If your characters have a distinct manner of speech it is much easier, thankfully mines do

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Interesting Karen, although I haven't counted exactly, I think the most characters I've had in one conversation is probably 4

 

[Karen Gray]

It's a juggle. Those chapters are the ones I write on a whim and read back like WHOA! what the hell did I just do, but once edited they are the most colourful and sometimes the most amusing chapters of the lot. Real life doesn't hand you only one person at a time to interact with and though it's difficult, portraying how it really is makes the writing far more true to life. In the same waqy as having your characters talk in more than one way for different people and situations. Like slang with friends and proper with students and so many other examples I could list forever. Realness is real and that's a fact. pmsl! And that sentense made little sense but hey, it's early and I have a migraine lol

 

[AuthorOfLast]

The weirdest scenes are the best. I wrote a scene once in my comic that had the characters fixing this broken dell laptop and then he threw up his hands and declared it to be dead. It was utterly pointless for moving the story along but I kept it in because of character development! The ones that are not planned to be written by the author are kind of the story writing itself