Book Series

It is quite common nowadays particularly for fantasy writers to plan more than one book to tell their story. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this (I may have another post to talk about this later), problems can arise if you plan the whole series, write and publish the first book, and then finish the series one book at a time.

One problem is consistency. In the early life of your story, you are not going to think up entire situations, back stories, or whatnot until some time later. If you write and publish only one book at a time, while continuing the story, you may discover some secret history between two of the characters or some new side plot that would make the story... except the problem is that the previous book as been published and cannot be altered. So thus you are forced to introduce something new rather suddenly and which could require character personalities or histories to be changed, but which cannot be altered drastically without coming across as inconsistent. I have seen this myself as my own work in progress has changed over the three and one-half years of its existence where the story largely remains the same but where characters and back stories evolve into something originally different.

A related issue is a greater amount of world-building that will inevitably take place the further you go into a story. It depends on the author, but you may develop more of the history, the languages, or an endless list of side aspects to the story; if you use magic in the story, you may deepen it and expand the rules. However, if you write-publish one book at a time, you will run into further problems of consistency. An example would be Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle". Because the books were all written at different times (in other words, he planned out the series but wrote each book one at a time), his explanation for magic and related magical events are different for each book, and thus his magic does not make sense at all.

Another problem of writing one book at a time is you may lose steam. I myself have gone through the stage of fantasy writing where I write one book and plan for others but by the time I finish at least the first part of the story, I have to put an end to the series for whatever reason there is, whether it be because of a bizarre plot or because I got bored with it. If you have already published one book, your readers will be expecting more of the story and so you will have to force yourself to finish it, which will result in bad writing. Or, in the cases of authors like George R. R. Martin, you take forever to finish it for whatever reason and so incur the wrath of your impatient readers, which may also cause you to lose your audience.

In the end, if you want to write a book series, it is best if you write it all out at once over a period of time and develop the story. This will help you develop the story itself but will also tell you if you really want to stick with it for a while. Sure, it may take years for you to finish the story completely to the point where you are happy with it, but remember my earlier post: the longer you sit on your story and develop it, the better it will turn out.

Villains

Most villains in stories today are not well-written. Despite being supposedly evil and intelligent, they often come across as complete idiots who are more likely to make the reader laugh instead of quake in his boots. I will give a few examples of bad villains.

1) They often become evil because of either an abusive past or because of some traumatic event in their lives; an example would be Galbatorix from "The Inheritance Cycle" who turned to evil because his dragon got killed. While this can offer one reason for a villain's motives, this has been overused. And, also, not every person who was abused as a child or had something bad happen to them turns to "the dark side". For a point in case, look at some of the following characters from "Lord of the Rings": Frodo's parents drowned when he was a child, Faramir was passed over by his father in favor of his brother, Aragorn's father was killed by orcs when he was a child, and Galadriel has been exiled from Valinor for centuries and forbidden to return; these are examples from only one book, but all of these have had traumatic experiences in some form or another in their lifetime and none of them became evil.

2) They are often considered insane or not in their right mind. Galbatorix is another example of this, but I am sure there are others as well. An issue with this is that who would follow a mad leader? Let me play devil's advocate here; say that a former warrior who had a nervous breakdown during a war escapes from the asylum where he has been living and starts proclaiming himself to be king. Even if he kills a few people, do you honestly think that people would believe him? Even if the man somehow managed to get into power, how would he be able to maintain it? How would he get the military to his side to support him in his position? When considering an insane ruler, keep these questions in mind. You could, however, use this if either the ruler goes crazy while he is already in power or if someone else is in the true power seat and is merely using the king as a puppet.

3) They wear black. In most stories, the villains always wear black and walk around with a swish of their cloaks or their robes. Unless your villain has OCD or some other mental problem (which, see above), they will not stick to one color. So add a little more color to their clothing.

4) The villains more often then not send their worst servants and underlings to do the dirty work; but the hero (or heroine) always manages to escape, and then the villain send out someone only a little better than the last guy, and he too will fail. If your villain is rational and truly as intelligent as he seems to be (because if he is not, then how will he maintain support or even get into power in the first place?), then he will send his best servants, assassins, trackers, or whatnot to do the job right the first time.

5) The villains almost somehow always reveal their "grand, evil scheme" or something of that nature to the hero, which usually will aid him in defeating the evil. This is not rational thinking: to reveal everything just because you've captured the hero and are going to kill him (though you'll fail in that too) is stupid. If your villain is intelligent, he will keep his plans to himself. Having the hero or one of the "good guys" to figure out the villain's motives or his ultimate plan without him actually telling it out loud would be much more interesting, in my opinion.

6) They often sit inside their grand palaces and on their thrones, waiting for whatever news they want or need. In reality, villains, whether kings or not, do not sit around and let everyone else do the work. If they truly want their plans to succeed, they will be far more active in making sure their purposes are fulfilled. Sure, they may not leave their place of residence, but keep them truly busy.

7) They are not evil for the right reasons. If you want your villain to be truly evil, then he has to act that way. And it has to be more than "he killed the last king", "he has high taxes", or "he forces people into his army". In this case, you have to show it rather then tell it.

I am sure I could think of other examples, but sadly my brain needs time to recuperate from this difficult college semester. In the end, however, I hope these tips will help you think more about your villains and how to make them truly evil instead of relying on stereotypes.

Stealing vs. Plagiarism

Plagiarism. Another fad that has taken the modern literary world by a storm and has seemingly become the next best thing among a lot of writers, young and old alike, especially in regards to fantasy. Basically, this is when a writer takes something that someone else has already used and puts it in their own writing; they may say they were inspired by the original author, but their often poor manuscript reeks of unoriginality. Sadly this is seen in both Christian and secular stories, and I'll list a few of them here: Christopher Paolini (his "Inheritance Cycle" is pretty much "Star Wars" set in Middle Earth) LB Graham (his writing is heavily inspired by Tolkien) are two big ones that I can think of at the moment.

Now, a common rebuttal is that "oh, no idea is truly original". Well, yes, that is true. Tolkien himself was inspired by Nordic mythology in his language and some of the names, but the difference between him and Paolini is that he took basic mythology and created an entire universe distinct from it, looking very different from the original source material. The difference ultimately between plagiarism and being semi-original is what you do with the original.

Let me give an example. Say you just finished reading Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", and you think to yourself "you know, I want to write something about twins, mistaken identity, and romance." Plagiarizing would mean using similar names, a very similar plot scheme, etc... But, "stealing", on the other hand would be more like "say you have a twin brother and sister who come from an abusive home. The sister can't take it anymore, so she pretends to be a boy and runs away, hoping for a new life. Then she gets caught up in another adventure, and she and her brother get confused for each other in the midst of it" or something like that. Basically, stealing literary ideas in the right way is to take a basic concept and then to add your own twist and/or spin to it. And, no, setting a story in a different time, location, or another world does not count, as Paolini should have taught us.

Names are another big thing that has been stolen lately, and Tolkien especially has become the victim. In practically all fantasy written by young writers, whether they be published or not, they use a name extremely similar to one of Tolkien's. I myself was a perpetrator of this very crime, and it took me a few years to get out of its grasp. I may write a post about this later, but there is a way to be inspired by Tolkien's names but to create something unique about it.

Another argument against plagiarism is that "oh, it's a fantasy. All fantasy has dragons, trolls, elves, dwarfs, etc..." or "well, it's the archetypal hero journey." First off, fantasy may have such creatures, but there is a way to take them and to add your own unique twist; for myself, when wanting something different, I often go on wikipedia or do a little searching to see what normal legends are then either pick something that is not commonly used or come up with something different yet feasible. Secondly, the archetypal hero's quest is a popular plot device, but you have to make it your own version, not base it off of someone else's work.

So, remember. Being inspired by a writer or storyteller is one thing; taking what they wrote down and claiming it as your own is something different.

Nanowrimo

Well, it's October, only one month away from the infamous nanowrimo.

For those who do not know what nanowrimo is, let me explain. It is basically an abbreviation for National November Writing Month, a novel-writing contest that takes place over the period of the entire month of November between 12 AM November 1 and 11:59 PM November 30. Your goal is to write at least 50,000 words in that time period; if you reach that goal, then you are a winner. You don't get big prizes or anything, but you do get smaller ones like avatars announcing you have reached 50,000 words and the ability to boast of reaching that many words; there is also the option, if you finish your story with 50,000+ words, then you can get the story printed out in something like a book style but only for yourself (I cannot vouch for it, as I have never done this). Between November 25 and 30, you can verify that you have the required word count, and they do this by you copying and pasting your entire document into a counter to make sure you aren't cheating.

But, there are rules to this contest. You can't type one word 50,000 times (of course), and you cannot basically do a rewrite of something else you have done (basically, you cannot work directly from a draft of something you have already done; but, like I did last year, I did a basic rehash of an older story but relied mostly on my own memory to write down scenes, and I did not work directly from a previous draft). So, this means you have to come up with something new in rough draft form. The good thing about the contest is that you do not have to be perfect. No need to worry about plot holes or character development because it is just a first draft. Granted, you will hate what you've written afterwards (I did, and I still do), but perhaps in the future you will go back to it and rework it into a polished jewel.

I did the contest for the first time last year, and I am contemplating doing it again (though it will depend on if I can get a workable idea and if my college class load does not kill me first). I encourage any other aspiring novelists to give this contest a try if you have not already. It is fast-paced and will be hard, and it definitely helps to have a support group of other writing friends to push you along. You will be tempted to pull out your hair, but how many other writers can boast of reaching 50,000 words in 30 days?

Strong Females

One thing that really drives me up a wall when reading most modern crap today is the portrayal of female characters, whether they be the lead or just in the background. The two most common views are the following: the rebellious hot babe or the quiet homemaker who has little part to play in the story.

Now to explain. The rebellious hot babe, who usually has a major or semi-major role, is the beautiful girl who goes out to war and kicks butt there, and usually doing such things out of rebellion, typically with a parent or guardian-figure. These girls often sometimes can be bad-tempered or feminist, saying that they can handle things as well as the men and don't like being held back because of it. Not only are they determined to make their mark on the world, but they also are often the love interest of a main male character, usually a romance based solely on physical appearances. An example of this character is Arya from Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle". However, these girls are not always pushy and let you know that they're as good as men; sometimes, it is more subtle, usually quietly spoken by when they pick up a sword and start helping during a battle.

The quiet homemaker has a few varying forms, but they are generally the submissive, motherly types who are often the love interests for minor male characters and serve no other purpose then their relationship to the men. An example of this, also from Paolini's series, is Elaine, a minor character who has a pregnancy that lasts for pretty much the entirety of two books (how that is biologically possible escapes me, but that is not relevant), and she does nothing else for the story besides being a mother to a few other minor characters. Another example would be Bella Swann from "Twilight".

Related to the homemaker is the damsel in distress. This is a female character who may not be the quiet girl, but she is often either related to the protagonist or romantically involved in some way. She may be told that she has an importance in saving the world, but in the end she is only used for advancing the plot by being kidnapped, rescued, and then re-kidnapped again; the only example I can think of for this one is in a non-published work that I have read. Or, on a related note, a similar damsel is told she has a big part to play but in the end is nothing more than a minor character, overshadowed by the protagonist, who is often a male; an example of this one is Taryn from Nikk Fensterman's "Twins".

Now, having these characters is not necessarily a bad thing, but it gives the appearance of very weak and stereotyped female characters. You can have strong females without resorting to these stereotypes, and I will give two examples, both from George R. R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" (granted, I have only read the first book "Game of Thrones", so you'll have to forgive me for relying on one book). The first one is Catelyn Stark, married to Lord Eddard Stark, one of the main characters of the story. Even though she married him more out of arrangement and not for love, the two have a good non-angsty relationship, and she loves her husband and her children very dearly. As the plot picks up and conspiracy rises, Catelyn, wanting to find out who tried to kill one of her children, quietly travels all over the kingdom to seek this information and to bring the assassin to justice. Despite her motherly nature, she comes across as strong because she does not go into battles but neither does she sit at home and do nothing. The second female in the book that comes across as strong is Cersei Lannister. Cersei may be the king's wife and daughter of a prominent family, but she is not to be trifled with. She may seemingly not to much, but the reader can tell that there is more to her that meets the eye and that she is certainly manipulating events. Other strong female characters in literature would be Jane Austen's female protagonists like Elinor Dashwood, who is quiet but has great emotional and mental strength, and Elizabeth Bennett, who has her faults but only seeks to uphold her family's honor and reputation. There are many more examples of strong women in literature, but these are a few examples.

So, please, do not fall into this modern literature trap. Your females do not have to be aggressive bulls, but neither do they have to be doormats. There is a happy balance here, so seek it and write it.

Avoiding Marys and Garys: Part 2

And, now that I have a bit of a breather for, hopefully, the next hour, I will continue my discussion on Mary Sues.

If you remember, I gave a short list of normal Mary Sue traits on my last post. As I said, some of these traits are not bad. In fact, many of these descriptions could describe any of our characters. But, the difference between a good character and a Mary Sue is execution, how the author carries it out.

If you decide to make your character extremely talented and beautiful, you still have to keep them realistic. To keep them from looking like demigods that should be loved and admired by all, you have to remember that they are only human; no one is that perfect, even in a fictional story. Say, for example, you decide to make a character an expert linguist or magician. At the same time, make them absolutely horrible in another area like mathematics, athletics, or even just having no everyday sense at all. Another example would be a character who is stunningly beautiful physically; you could give it a real nasty temper or bad attitude that makes people back off.

On a related note, no character can be perfectly loved by all the good guys. We all have our own serious personality/ attitude flaws as well as our own perspectives on life and various events that we watch unfold before our eyes. Just because your character may think that the military needs to be more aggressive against the enemy or that the school needs a new pop machine doesn't mean that's the right view and that everyone else who thinks otherwise is an enemy. I am currently trying to put this into practice with my own fantasy novel; it is set during a war, and you have various captains, lieutenants, and then the king all trying to protect the land, but they all have different views from each other; just because a lieutenant thinks that the king and his nephew (the protagonist) have idiotic ideas doesn't automatically make him a villain nor a rival.

This leads into another point. A common flaw with Mary Sues is that they don't make mistakes or, if they do, they end up fixing it and solving the problem entirely; they don't really learn anything or retain the lesson permanently. Don't be afraid to let your characters make major mistakes with no easy solution or with one that doesn't completely solve the problem. In real life, the older we grow, we look back over mistakes we make and regret being foolish, but it is ultimately those mistakes that teach us and mold us. It is how your characters react to their mistakes and learn from them that will give them greater maturity and cause them to change.

I may continue this discussion later when I have more time.

Avoiding Marys and Garys

A major problem in stories nowadays is the huge amount of what are called "Mary Sues", basically a shallow character that is a self-insert for the author (male versions of these are often called "Gary Stus"). There is nothing good about these characters, as they are annoying and distract from the story, making it hard to read.

Here are some signs of a Mary Sue (took me a little research to make sure these were correct):

- Unusual, special character. This Mary Sue is unique in the world and has very special powers or gifts that no one else has. They may have a unique name and unique features, often including great beauty or being very attractive. The character has special magical powers or great talents like being an expert at oil painting in their early teenage years. They may also take an extremely short time to learn certain skills that would normally take years.

- Everybody loves him/her. This character may have a stubborn, unintelligent, and mean personality, but all the other characters fawn over him/her, not caring about their faults. The good guys often love this character and bad guys hate this character, and there's no in-between. Basically, the character can do no wrong in the author's eyes, and so everyone must agree with them with no criticism or anything bad said toward them.

- They usually have a very shallow romance. The kind of romance where he/she falls in love with the hottie, usually the popular person that everyone else has fallen head over heels for.

- In relation to the first point, Mary Sues are given preferential treatment in regards to their appearance. They are physically perfect in every way and may even have oddly colored eyes or hair. Some Sues often have a special mark on them that speaks of their unique position, though this is not always the case.

- This is not always the mark of a Sue, but they have some very special role to play in killing the villain and saving the world.

- This is also not always the mark of a Sue, but they often have very troubled pasts like abuse, dead family members, etc... and this turns simply into a way for them to angst and for the readers to feel sorry for them.

- A Sue may be a wish fulfillment of the author, having the same physical appearance as him/her, similar interests and hobbies, etc... Or, they may be what the author wishes they could be, like being more attractive or more talented.

This is not a comprehensive list, and it was largely taken from the following website: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommonMarySueTraits

To test out your characters for any signs of Suedom, try out the following link: http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html However, I would say, use caution, as sometimes it may call a character a Sue when it is not. Still, try to beware of this severe flaw that is floating around nowadays.

Alien Culture

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I'm in the middle of a creative drought at the moment, where I want to write something but have absolutely no clue what and nothing new is coming to mind. Anyway...

Ok, now the title of my post has nothing to do with little green men hovering in space ships above our planet. I was camping this week at a lovely little place on the lake in the middle of the mountains (not as pretty as Lake Nantahala, but better than Lake Lanier) when I was brainstorming about a possible culture for a story when I thought about creating different cultures.

One thing that really bugs me in a story is how someone can "create" a unique culture for a fantasy or sci-fi story, but it does not come across as alien; in other words, you could plop this culture in our world and essentially it would not be very different to us. There are still familiar elements in it, like the typical wedding/ marriage where you usually have a ring, a ceremony, and then a big party afterwards. In the end, this said wedding doesn't look unique and could be taking place in 21st century New York City or something like that. Or, another example. In most fantasy stories, the "age of manhood" where a boy becomes a man is generally between sixteen and eighteen, but he comes across as immature or there's no real reason for the age to be that young.

So, a few little suggestions for adding a bit of alien spice to your cultures. Look up lesser-known ones and their rites for maturity, naming, etc... and get some ideas. You could write it so that wedding ceremonies are very private affairs and the celebration is only for others, not for the couple, or vice versa. In the case of the maturity age, you could raise or lower it (Tolkien's hobbits didn't reach maturity until they were 33 years old), but please, no whiny, angsty characters; in the 1800's, you had girls who got married at 13 years old, but they certainly weren't the immature types you see today, rather the hard-working women who were fully ready to manage a household.

Sorry if my thoughts seem a little disoriented today, but I am a bit tired.

Accepting Criticism

Let's face it: you spend time, blood, sweat, and tears on a story, leaving you feel so proud and on top of the world; the last thing you want to hear is criticism. I know this for a fact, as I have personally felt it myself.

However, if you really love your story, then you must be willing to accept what people say about it and contemplate it. If someone says "your writing is horrible, your characters are unsympathetic, yada yada yada", your first reaction is to get defensive or to ignore the comment, only focusing on the good people say. Any author's response should be to listen to what people say, especially if you plan to publish, because heeding criticism makes you into a better writer. It reminds me of a few years ago when I was working on a fantasy novel and wanted feedback; I had gotten positive from a peer and from an adult, but my father tore apart the first chapter. I felt discouraged at first and later gave up the novel, but, looking back over it, the critique was actually good and the story was a piece of trash. And it was this that has helped me to grow in my writing, but I still have quite a way to go.

Accepting harsh words about your writing is not easy, but it is necessary. Do not ignore them, as they are vital to growing in your abilities and they will make your story better. This advice is not only to aspiring authors but also to those who have already been published; being published does not automatically let you off the hook for criticism, despite what many authors may think.

Bad Romance

One thing that really kills any story is how romance is portrayed. The unfortunate tendency in stories, especially in our modern day, is to have two characters look shyly at each other for a while then fall head over heels in love, with no substance or depth to their romance. Here are some examples of overdone, horrible love stories.

- Eragon and Arya from "The Inheritance Cycle". The two are destined, in a not-so-subtle way, to fall in love forever. However, Eragon's "feelings" are nothing short of lust for this hot elf babe, and she is nothing more than the arrogant, cold-hearted woman, and yet he still wants her.

- Will and Lyra from "His Dark Materials". The two young teenagers are companions for two books, and then suddenly, one day, they decide to have a make out session in the woods. Afterwards, they then are madly in love and are terribly pained when they have to separate. For goodness' sake, they're only thirteen, fourteen!

- Various romances in the "Binding of the Blade". Even though they are not as painful as Eragon and Arya's, there is little substance or depth to these various relationships. Most of them are the "love at first sight" kind, and there is little real chemistry between the characters.

- Robbie and Celia from "Atonement". I hate to add this book to the list, as it is very well-written, but I did not like the romance. Basically, the rich girl and the servant boy ignore each other most of the time and then decide to have sex in the library, where they then proclaim their love and maintain it for the course of the book, even though they are pretty much apart and have little contact during that time.

- Various romances in Erin Hunter's "Warrior" series. These are bad because they are the typical stereotypes and become very repetitive and annoying, especially as the series progresses. You have the forbidden love aspect (which shows up at least three times in the series) where two characters are not supposed to be together but are anyway and then the two characters who don't like each other then end up as mates.

- Paul and Chani from "Dune". Even though I enjoy the series to an extent for their great detail and complex plots/ schemes, Paul and Chani's relationship was a bit weak for me. Basically, the two fifteen-year olds meet for the first time, Paul knowing that they are destined to be together, and a few days later they have sex, beginning a long relationship that lasts the rest of Chani's life. They never marry, though Paul technically does to another woman but he treats Chani as his real wife and ignores the other woman. My issue is that there was little reason for them to be together apart from destiny, which means there is little substance to their love.

- Arkady Renko and his ladies in the Martin Cruz Smith books. Renko has two relationships with two women in these two books, and neither of them are deep or even well-written. He is more or less bewitched by one girl and continues sleeping with her, even though she's revealed to be a slut. The other relationship is sudden and unrealistic, with Renko 'feeling alive' with this girl but there's no evidence of this or of the relationship except for her nearly hitting him with a book and one sex scene.

The best romances, I believe, are those with chemistry and depth. Let me explain. The characters have to be attracted to each other, but not out of their rank or physical appearance. And, there has to be a spark between them, real interaction. I can't really explain except that it's something you see between a couple, the way they act together, that tells you if their love is real. Looking at pictures of various engaged couples over the years, there are some who just have a light on their smiling faces and eyes where you can tell "oh, yeah, they're in love", rather than a smile that looks forced and unreal.

Here are some suggestions for writing good romances.

- Begin the relationship as a friendship. My dad once told me that that is how love starts, and I think this has been seriously forgotten nowadays.

- Avoid the use of destiny or fate. If you do want to use it, then have more substance to the relationship, more of a real spark and less of how they are destined to be together.

- Leave room for disagreements. Even the best couples don't agree on everything, and most romances are written from the perspective of two lovey- dovey people too in love to argue. It doesn't have to be disagreements that end in the couple being separated, but it does have to be more than arguing over what outfit to wear to the party or something of that nature.

- Show it. If you want to make your romance convincing, then it has to be more than saying "I love you" or just a shy glance. The guy may give the girl flowers or chocolates, and the girl also has to give something to him, like sewing him a new cloak or making him his favorite meal. Another example, which could be used in a fantasy, if the guy just came through a real hard battle, the girl will want to comfort him emotionally and be a strong shoulder for him, though this could be applied really to any genra of writing.

- And, finally, unless you're specifically writing a romance story, one idea may be to keep the love in the background and not in the forefront. Even though Tolkien wrote his romances sounding more like an epic myth, I did like how in the "Lord of the Rings" books Aragorn and Arwen are in love, but Aragorn, knowing what he has to do, focuses on the task at hand, not griping about how far apart they are and how he misses her.

These are just a few examples, but I urge aspiring writers not to ruin your stories with a bad, predictable romance. It has become a pitfall for many authors, so don't fall into it as well.

No Repetition

I was watching "Pride and Prejudice" (the looong version and the best, in my opinion) last night when a thought came into my head: I haven't read the book in a long time, but I realized how similar "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" are. Of course they're written by the same author, but thinking about it made me raise an eyebrow. Here is a list of similarities:

- Both have the dashing, likable man liked (or loved) by one of the female protagonists who turns out to be a complete scumbag

- The scoundrel turns out to be involved somehow with the man that the female protagonist who formerly like him marries

- The scoundrel is lured away either permanently or temporarily by a woman with a lot of money

- The older sister of the family falls in love with a pleasing, likable man who abandons her briefly, crushing her hopes, but then returns suddenly to declare his love and marry her

- The female protagonist marries the man she least expected to, the one who was in love with her the entire time

- One of the females goes to London in pursuit of the man she loves but ends up discovering he's abandoned her

- Both of the sisters end up married, one to the man she's always loved and the other to an unexpected man

- Both stories have a female character who is dedicated to playing matchmaker with one of the sisters

- Mrs. Bennett is reminiscent of Mrs. Jennings in some ways

- Mr. Bennett is reminiscent of Mr. Palmer in some ways

- Jane Bennett is reminiscent of Elinor Dashwood in some ways

Now don't get me wrong; I like Jane Austen, even though I've only read two of her books (I tried reading "Emma" a few years ago but couldn't get past the first few pages). However, my issue with her is that there are a lot of similarities between "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice"; yes, there are differences, but these similar characters, scenes, ideas, etc... are a bit glaring. To me, it shows a bit of a lack of imagination. Having said that, though, I'm first to admit that I'm very guilty when it comes to this sort of thing. Still, let it be a bit of a warning to you: try not to use the same ideas more than once. Rather, let them develop into something different so that no connection can be made between the two stories in that way. It takes time and a lot of thought, but, in the end, it makes you look as if you have more than a few ideas rolling around in your head.

Sermons

One thing that is not a good sign in a book is if the author decides to give out a short sermon on a topic that ends up coming across as stupid and an annoyance. I'll give a few examples. In one book, the author did a couple of not-so-subtle sermons on how vegetarianism was right (though this was recanted a book later) and on atheism; readers leapt all over this, as it came across as the author shoving his own views on them. In another book, a different author let out a couple of anti-technology and anti-killing animal views that were not subtle and did not add to the story at all; and not only that, but the sermons did not fit the personality of those who said them, which made it even worse. And these sermons were minor, an add-on to the story. Things can really get bad if you decide to have a sermon as the major part of the story; for example, Pullman's "His Dark Materials" were well-written stories (except for the last one), but the whole anti-God, anti-Christianity message oozed through to ruin it completely.

If you want to use your story-writing attempts to teach your readers a lesson or a "sermon", as it were, I've learned that being subtle yet relevant is the best way. If you want to write a Christian fantasy, you don't have to be too open about it (a minor note here: I appreciate LB Graham for writing his "Binding of the Blade" series and its blatantly Christian themes, but I think a little more subtly could have also been better... among other things). I consider "Lord of the Rings" a very Christian novel series even though there is virtually no mention of God or of organized religion, but it has very strong Christian allegory and themes seen in the characters' morality and in objects like the lembas bread; another novel series I would consider Christian to a lesser extent is Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" (even though the whole "holy grail" thing I think could have been left out), as it does mention God and Christianity but they are not the central part of the story. If you want to write a pro-life message, you can be subtle in mentioning how precious life is. There are other examples, but my mind can't think of them at the moment.

A History Lesson

World building is always fun to do, creating names, cultures, geography, history, etc... But one thing that I have discovered to make your world more believable is to add some history. Don't panic. I'm not suggesting you create a vast history like Tolkien did, but adding a bit to the background makes your world look better.

What inspires me most when adding a background to this fantasy world I've worked on for several years is real history, because it is so complicated. Wars do not happen for one reason; very often, there are several different ones that all collide and explode with deadly results. Rulers battle their own personal demons and troubles within and without their own realms. Kingdoms rise and fall. Scholars study and argue over what they believe is right. One little event over generations leads to something much bigger than anticipated. The list goes on and on. There is plenty of opportunity to explore these various areas, even in bits and pieces, so do so. It makes your world more alive and realistic, and it makes you look like you actually labored over your world building attempts.

Borrowing a Culture

A common thing to do when you world-build, especially in fantasy stories (I've seen it so far in one sci-fi series) is to borrow from a real culture when creating your own. Now that's all well and good, but this can often cause issues and make you look unimaginative. I'll give you two examples of how it can be abused.

First, the Icemark Chronicles (a series of three books so far... the first is the best, the second was absolutely horrible, and I've yet to read the third). The author Stuart Hill has several different races: the people of the Icemark (clearly Nordic/ Viking), the Hypolitia (Scythians, more specifically the Amazonians of Greek legends), and the Polypontians (clearly the Romans of the Roman Empire). Even though these peoples are clearly cut out from history, it truly becomes annoying in the second book with the addition of more human races that are clearly based off of the people of Venice (the name of their city is Venizza or something like that), Middle Easterners, and then at last African tribes. The problem that happened here was absolutely no imagination. Nothing to separate these peoples from their real-life counterparts except for the fact that they're in a fantasy world.

My next example is from a book I'm currently reading called "Shadow Magic." You basically have two races who are trying to make peace after a looong war, which makes for interesting culture clashes (more on that later). While one culture is nonspecific, the other, known as the Ke- Han, are clearly Japanese. I'm not familiar with that culture, but from what I've read so far (and I don't expect a change by the end of the novel) the Ke- Han, like Stuart Hill's races, are basic cardboard cutouts with nothing new or interesting to differentiate them from the Japanese.

Borrowing a bit from a real-life culture is fine, as long as you add your own touches to make them realistic and recognizable but at the same time different. A good example of this is the Fremen from Frank Herbert's "Dune" universe. They live in the desert and have a language similar to Arabic, but these two people are very different. The Fremen don't have the physical characteristics of Middle Easterners, they ride giant worms and not camels, they live in stone houses and do not appear to be nomads, and several other differences. The point is, these people were clearly influenced by a real-life culture, but they are not the exact same; and there are more than just three or four differences between the two.

Not everyone bases a fantasy or sci-fi culture on reality, but for those who do, what you can do to prevent from having an unimaginative people is to let them grow. Add differences between the real thing and yours. Make a different history for them. Change their religion and names. I could go on and on. Over the years, I have discovered that one of my races that has played a predominant role in my story attempts, while being based off the Celts/ Scottish/ Irish have developed into their own people, as they are more literate, have a different history, and live in very different buildings. Those are only a few examples, but do not be afraid to let your culture/ people evolve into something complex and unique.

A little note here. I mentioned above a culture clash in "Shadow Magic." One thing I have rarely seen in stories that require extensive world-building (I am sad to say even Tolkien, for his amazing detail, could have done so much more with his various races in a culture clash) is two different peoples looking at each other and their customs. "Shadow Magic", despite the fact I think it's only an ok novel, does add entertainment with the interaction between the ritualistic, clean Ke- Han and the visitors who view them and their ways with a cool disdain. I myself had a great deal of fun using this in my second novel last summer when I had my Celtic race interact with the clean, poised vampires. It was entertaining to write about the "Celts" trying to use silverware, feeling dirty in the clean and polished palace, and just how they view each other. I highly recommend using this in your novel, because, as I said earlier, it's not used nearly enough and because it also adds a bit of conflict between your characters, which is always a good thing.

Keeping Track of Time

One thing that I've discovered is helpful when writing a story is using a timeline to keep track of things.

As I worked on my current novel, I was not sure of the exact length of time and was even more unsure of the realism, as one of the characters is pregnant all throughout the story. To make sure that this remained realistic (i.e. morning sickness and more visible signs of her pregnancy), I made a timeline. It was nothing fancy, as I just used real dates like May 29th. Once I had the story start on a certain day, then I went through every chapter and made notes on how much time passed between days. It didn't take me very long, and soon I had a timeline and a good idea of the timespan (discovering that my first novel takes place over a period of a few months, between late "May" and either September or October), and everything fit in very nicely. While I'm not going to use precise dates in the story, the timeline did serve its purpose of giving me a better sense of time and making everything work realistically.

I recommend using it, even if your story is spread out over a year or two. Tolkien used a calender for his Lord of the Rings, beginning with the Second Age and the last date being Aragorn's death in the Fourth Age (but you needn't go to the great depths that he did with his). His use of the timeline for the story itself is very helpful, especially when you have several characters all doing different things who later all come together.

As I said, a timeline is a handy tool for novel-writing and keeping things organized.

Get Real... Really

One thing that I have noticed in several stories nowadays is how unrealistic things can become. Even if you have a fantasy story, you still have to keep things realistic.

For example, I know of a story where a boy has never ridden a horse in real life but when he goes to the fantasy realm he automatically can leap on and off horses like a pro. That is not realistic at all. Another example from a different story is a boy who has never picked up a sword before and after a few months of practice is considered an expert. Let's be frank: these things do not happen in real life and thus do not happen in a fantasy world. Even if you have a natural aptitude for something, it takes a long time to develop that skill.

Staying real doesn't just apply to your character's skills or whatnot. Here are some other examples.

- If your character(s) do a lot of traveling, make sure they're going at expected speeds. Even if they have high endurance, they're not going to run a hundred miles in a day (unless you're Leto Atreides).

- If your character has been wounded, make sure he has plenty of recovery time. One normally doesn't get stabbed in the arm and then the next day use it in a major battle. If you want to be realistic, he's going to be in a lot of pain and won't be able to use his arm for a while.

I can't think of any other examples at the moment, but do remember this: keep things realistic in your story, fantasy or not.

Making a Race

One of the fun things about writing a fantasy or science fiction story is that you have the opportunity to create different races and their cultures. However, nowadays in most fantasy, there is sadly not much imagination in this realm, as the typical races tend to be human, elf, and dwarf, all of which are stereotyped into the powerful, magical elves, gruff dwarfs, and the weaker humans. And some attempts to get away from those stereotypes just end up horribly convoluted *glares at the "Inheritance Cycle"*.

Here are some suggestions for getting out of the bog of unimaginative races.

1) Do a bit of research. When looking for ideas for creatures not used commonly in fantasy, I like looking up folklore (particularly Irish) as well as creatures of legend. All you need is a quick wikipedia search, nothing real fancy or in-depth, but rather something to give you some ideas. Then contemplate this for as long as necessary then begin writing down about your races.

2) If you want to or already are using elves and dwarfs, don't be afraid to let them evolve or even give them new names. A race called Loreleis (taken from a poem called "The Lorelei" that I read in high school) in my current fantasy novel has undergone years of evolution from a powerful race to one where normally they would be called human (or mortal, whichever you prefer). Try new twists on things, like have the elves as the dominant race and humans as dying out or humans as the magical race and the elves as not. You get the idea.

3) Be careful with how many races you have. I've had several different kinds with mermaids, vampires, humans, and another race all in one story., but it only got confusing and bogged me down, so I only left it to two races, where it currently is now. I don't have a good number for what to shoot for, but I would recommend to do only as many races as you can handle and only what are needed.

4) In relation to #3, you don't have to have one or two races that are all the same, because that's boring and not realistic. In my current novel, I've discovered that having one blanket term for a race and then letting them branch out is better than creating so many races. For example, my vampires are all descended from three people, but they are divided into many various groups, each with a different culture, language, physical attributes, etc... Besides the fact that it's fun to think up histories for the different branches and thus interaction between them, it's realistic. Think about it. All humans have the same ancestors, and yet we're all so different, being divided into various cultures and peoples from tribes of Central Africa to Native Americans to those of Polynesia to those of European descent; each is different and unique in its own way, yet they all are of the same race.

The only fantasy writer I have seen yet to use this concept is Tolkien. He doesn't go into detail about all his races, but ultimately there are four humanoid races: human, elf, dwarf, and hobbit. Each of these are divided into various kinds, like Silvan Elves and Noldor Elves or the Rohirrim and the Men of Dale. This allows for a lot of diversity in his races and makes the story more realistic and interesting.

I'm sure I could think of other tips, but right now my computer time is limited.

Take Your Time

I know for certain that when you finish a story (especially a novel) that you get so excited and you want to get it published. Publishing is a noble thing to aspire to, but it's not a good thing to rush into.

When I was a young teenager, I finished a first draft of a fantasy novel and was so pleased with my accomplishment that I started looking up publishers. I was urged not to do that so soon, and I'm glad I was told. About a year or two later, I discarded the novel for its steadily-increasing bizarre nature and general disappointment in it. I looked it over a few months ago, and my, did my hairs stand up on my head. Absolutely horrible. I couldn't even finish reading it, even though years before people had said they liked it (though they may have been being polite, which is never a good thing when you want to take your story seriously).

But here's my point: take your time. Don't finish a novel and then work on it for a year or two then seek to be published. An important thing that I have learned from about eight years of story-writing is not to rush. The reason is, writing, especially for young people, is rarely well-written but has potential. But to reach to higher levels of quality, you should practice a lot and take your time, even years. And don't be afraid to let your story change as you keep writing new drafts of it. The evolution of a story is half the fun of writing as you discover how to make better characters, how to solve plot problems like inconsistencies, and in general how to write something better. So don't be afraid to spend years on a particular story. In reality, the fantasy novel series I am working on at the moment is the product of eight years of story evolution from Tolkien rip-off fantasy world to something hopefully far different.

So, as I say: take your time. Don't rush the writing process to gain fame for something poorly written that has a lot more potential but was never exploited. And keep this in mind: I heard somewhere that Tolkien spent over ten years (not sure of the exact time) working on the Lord of the Rings trilogy (someone correct me if I'm wrong) before publishing it. All that time, and look at the masterpiece we have today.

So take your time and make a masterpiece that will be remembered for all the right reasons.

Ok...

Ok, so I've decided what I'm going to do here. Once a week (probably every Saturday because my weeks are filled with work), I will post something, a blurb or an article or however long I want to talk, to do with writing. No, this is not the blog where I will ramble about Celtic music or write various reviews. I will talk about my own thoughts about story writing, offer some bits of advice I have learned from about nine years of writing attempts, and possibly challenges for other young, aspiring writers like myself.

First Post

Well, welcome to the blog. I deleted my private writing blog, but this one will be more public, open to all. Not quite sure what I will post here, but I'm sure I'll figure out something.