Are You Writing Serious Fantasy?

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

No problem [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I bet their good. Did you think of putting them in your story?

[NazgulNumber10]

nah, i'll probobly make new ones...some of the old ones i wrote 4 years ago...

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Well, can't wait to read them anyway [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[NazgulNumber10]

thanks alot, i've never had this much support before.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

[img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
It's the style of writing that I love, why would it be bad?! If you write what you feel, the poem can never be bad.

[NazgulNumber10]

once again thanks, but i must revise my work over and over until i feel it is perfect. i have very high standards for writing.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

I threw out most of my poems because I thought they were too corny or stupid or just didn't sound right. Everybody sets their own standards for thier writing. It doesn't really make it easier most of the time! Oh well. Off to write in more topics now [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[NazgulNumber10]

yeah i know, i am my own toughest critic. i am also fiercely protective of my work when it isn't finished.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

I'm like that too, and that's why no one has ever read one of my poems (except when they were assigned to do for English class.)

[NazgulNumber10]

grrrrrrrrrr...english class. look for some of my ealier relies in this thread and fond out why i shiver when i say that name...

[ July 04, 2002: Message edited by: NazgulNumber10 ]

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Oh a stupid corny story that she copied...
That's not fair that yours was thrown to the side because of her little essay that probably was 5 sentences saying how people should be nice to each other. I hate when people are so fake. I think it's great that people are more proud of our country, but some people couldn't even have cared about our country before 9/11 and as soon as that happened, then everyone started being all independent and nice to each other. That's great but did it really have to take a tragedy like that to happen before people atarted acting like that? Oh well, point is that I hate when people get credit for something that they shouldn't have gotten credit for. I can't begin to tell you how many people in my class were like that. Enough of my babbling now, sorry!

[NazgulNumber10]

babbling, i wouldn't call it babbling. spewing the truth maybe...

[Lila Bramble]

Woah, Nazgul and Lothiriel! Way to take over the board! Thanks for the appreciation on my idea, I'm actually gonna start writing after my fanfic story! Well, welcome Loth, I'm sure you'll get an idea soon! Maybe you'll dream one up tonight..

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Spewing the truth, I like that, I'll use that from now on [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
Lila, you have to see us in one of the RPG topics, we're the only ones who post in it!!

[NazgulNumber10]

true, true

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

We have like 320 posts or something, right? Probably about 200 are yours!

[littlemanpoet]

Lothiriel and nn10, I think it's great that you are encouraging each other. I have one minor concern, though, that the powers that be (moderators) might consider this thread to be degenerating and want to close it down. So you might want to consider doing PMs where you could agree to go to the chat rooms, or just post via PM. Please don't see this post as trying to nail you to the wall or be some kind of surrogate English teacher who just doesn't get it. We just want this thread to be available for the foreseeable future for ALL of us to enjoy.

[NazgulNumber10]

ok, back on track. How do you feel about religon in fantasy? is there one major, or do different cultures have their own. Or, are there no traces of religon at all.
I have gone with the option of heving different religons for different cultures. It helps make them more complete and belivable. what you you think?

[Nar]

We love you guys, NN10 & Lothiriel, and we love your ideas, & we love that you support each other, long may you keep it up! It's just that this thread was already almost shut down once for veering too far off-topic and off-Tolkien, we just escaped shutdown by getting serious in the nick of time and we were 'kindly let to live.' (Magwich, Great Expectations-- love that book. Now THAT's fantasy comparable to Tolkien! Magwich, Gollum, two great fantasy alteregos! Denethor, Miss Haversham, two great fantasy 'so-bad-they're-good' villains!) Listen, thanks for your support about my friend, NazgulNumber10 and Thinhyandoiel. Good quote, NN10-- I do feel lucky. Very true. Now, since you seem tuned into shades of grey and internal conflict, NazgulNumber 10, do you have any favorite 'so-bad-they're-good' villains in LotR or elsewhere? You know, villains you hate but feel sorry for, like I do about Miss H. and Steward D. Did they inspire anything in your story?

[NazgulNumber10]

hmmmmmmmm villains i fell sorry for..
1 saruman from lotr. He was nothing but a pawn of saruon, a pawn that reached the end of his row. He was a shadow of something greater and desired that same power.
2 craig from stephan king's the langoliers. A poor demented soul haunted by his overbearing father. Even though he shot some people and stabed a blind girl, i still feel for him.
thats all i can think of right now, and thanks for taking in intrest in my thoughts.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

sorry [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] It doesn't really seem like I can stay on topic, I'm mad at myself. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I'm still working on my piece of junk, so I don't really have any good ideas to share with you people who seem to be very involved in your works. As for religion in fantasy...good question. Well, I don't really see a problem in it, but again, others are more advanced so I'm sure they'll share their ideas.

[Saxony Tarn]

Go you, Nazul #10, keep writing that poetry -- but maybe you'd like to start a poetry thread? (just chiming in on some of the previous experiences of this board. Okay, enough scolding, now for the latest from the cellar)

Interesting question -- religion in fantasy: Sure, why not? After all, more often than not a sentient being's gotta believe in something (even if it's not believing in anything or anyone specific) somewhere in my files i've got a "What-If" tale that postulates that if "Demonic Rock Music" is 'for real' then there must be Angelic Rock to counter it, and tracks the amateur careers of a few modern-day spellsingers and bards while they save the world a few times in their own small ways. (yep, Archangel Mike with a Gibson Flying V slung over his winged shoulder -- the Apocalypse will never sound the same!)

Alas, since music plays such a strong role in it, there are too many agents who'd need to be dealt with -- so in a sense, this is '80's-era rock&roll fanfic.

But certainly -- religion in fantasy is natural and logical, and lends that much more mystery and mysticism to your world. (after all, where magic fails, the Divine generally prevails...)

s.t.

|_|) <-- take, drink, this is the mead of inspiration, which i pour for you, to keep this discussion alive and lively!

[mystra]

hi peeps! u are all obviously much more seriouser peeps when it comes to write than me! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] even though im pretty serious as well!! my room is FULL of scraps of pieces of papers with ideas and plots and maps on them all. and ive only just got a plot! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] im working on creating a world where all will take place, etc. so im concentrate on the map and lands, and the language they speak and stuff like that. anyway, good luck to you peoples. i hopes you are all published in the future soon! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] luv myst.

[Starbreeze]

ok, back on track. How do you feel about religon in fantasy? is there one major, or do different cultures have their own. Or, are there no traces of religon at all.
I have gone with the option of heving different religons for different cultures. It helps make them more complete and belivable. what you you think?

In an effort not to offend very strictly religious people who may read my work I have left out mentions of Gods etc. where they are not needed and blessings, oaths and curses are said in the name of one of the Sun's that light the world.
My people mainly beleive that the elves, which have now left the land, were gods, or at least super-beings, but they mainly beleive in the power of the elemnets, as with most primitive people, for example, respect is born of fear of volcanoes, strong winds...that is their religion, at least for the common people and those in the North.

[Lila Bramble]

I skipped a little bit becuase I didn't want to get side-tracked from this awesome idea: the religion of your fantasy work! I never even thought of it! Usually I don't even have a religion, but now it's deffinitly something for me to think about!

[Starbreeze]

In order to make it realistic I think it is important for there to be some sort of religion or cult following, it is natural for humans for seek something to explain things, and important that they have someone above them to keep them in their place and for them to look up to.

[mystra]

*myst has gods and goddesses [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] and lesser deities [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] and different planes of existense [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] yes, gods are very important [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[NazgulNumber10]

while i do have religons in my story, i feel it is important to remain neutral while describing them and their fallowers.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

That sounds good

[mystra]

im out for summer now [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] im looking forward to writing a lot! im hoping to actually get somewhere with my book! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] i wanna finish my gods! theyre starting to annoy me! and then there are the cults....... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] if anyone has any writing or plots tips/suggestions, PLEASE!!!!!! let me know! thanx! i also have a topic in novices and newcomers- cant remember the title! i have asked the same question there, so if u ever have anything, please say! thanx! luv myst.

[Lila Bramble]

Mystra, I have a little idea. How about making a god/goddess or one belied to be decendant or one who is mistaken for a god/gaoddess on the party?

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

Yeah, that sounds cool. It like in the Sword of Shannara series, Shea Ohmsford is a descendant of Jerle Shannara... eh, not like anyone cares, but it's an example!

[Saxony Tarn]

and you have history behind you -- many cultures believed their gods to be distant ancestors of Man, or at least, of their group.

Puts some real oomph in "Namaste" (The Divine in me honors the Divine in you)...

|_|) <-- have a good weekend everyone!

s.t.

[littlemanpoet]

What a topic idea, NN10! I'm kind of surprised it hasn't come up till now. My big story has through its seven revisions been completely bedrocked in religion, specifially traditional Christianity - what I come from. But the eighth version is breaking away from a strict adherence to it, which I needed. There's still the Genesis 6 thing about the sons of the gods and the daughters of men, which is the basis for my main question anyway, of "what if all the mythologies were true?". So anyway, it seems my religious stuff is retreating further and further back into the background. Which means it's getting more like Tolkien than it used to be. Which I like. I'm not sure how it's all going to play out, but with the world we know as dimension #1 and faerieland as dimension #2, I still have a kind of abode of the Deity as dimension #3. All three dimensions impinge on each other, which means that they all take up the same place in space and time, it's just that dimension #1 people can't see #2 and #3, and whereas faerie people can see #1 as well as their own #2, they can't perceive #3. Those in dimension #3 (purgatory? paradise? heaven? I don't know what to call it, maybe all three plus some other things - nirvana? valhalla? hmmm? ) can perceive the other 2 dimensions. Little by little one of my protagonists begins to be aware of this third dimension, and begins to perceive it and gets frustrated that nobody will listen to her about what she sees. Which is more stated more clearly here than I've ever done before anywhere. Wow! Problem is, it doesn't come into my story until deep into the sequel which I haven't written much of at all. So my set up is really different from Tolkien's, even if it partakes of the idea of keeping the gods and goddesses in the background.

Happy writing!

[NazgulNumber10]

cool. I also use some imagiry for things in our world. Kinda like gandalf's speak to the balrog were he mentions the secret fire, and tolkien meant the holy spirit.

[Nar]

Yeah, NN10 I agree with you-- some religion makes the story more realistic, but I think you had a good point back there, the treatment of religion's got to be realistic. In real life a lot of people have a faith but are not as intensely into it as a priest or a monk would be-- that's good in a story I think, for someone to have a normal slightly lapsed faith rather than be perfect in their religion because you bothered to give them one.

So, Littlemanpoet, you've revealed your long term plans, aha! Perceiving the other side, cool. And no one will believe her!
I get the strong feeling with Frodo by the end of RotK that he's more than half existing solely on that spiritual side-- it's all the more convincing to me for being done in that practical, nondenominational way. I'd still like to see the meeting of Eru & Gollum-- what a story! I bet he'd shriek 'don't cast us into the nassty flames preciousss, we, I, Smeagol will be very good, yesss! Bring the angelses nice fissh!' I wonder if Eru'd be able to bring Smeagol around at the last second? I'd try if I was Eru. Guess I'd better go start a thread topic!

[Lila Bramble]

I have a question for everyone here.

I know JRR Tolkien didn't have a romance in Lord of the Rings, but do you find it neccassary and more exciting to insert people with love interests and perhaps couples? Or two people who develop int partners? I know that I find it much more interesting for the reader, and moref un to write.

[NazgulNumber10]

hmmmmmmmmm good question. I typically write about stuff that i have gone through, so there isn't much love there. Mine story is a tale of pain and suffering, and a battle agaisnt something, no matter how hard you try, you just can't stop. However, there is some love in there (at the end). but even that love has its trobles. It truely is a tale of human suffering, and of what comes out of it.

[Lothiriel Silmarien]

I don't know about you people, and I certainly think I'm weird about this, but sometimes I get jealous when two of the characters fall in love. You get so attatched to the characters and also it's just so perfect and it's not fair!! Yeah but it definetly makes the book more interesting. I think sometimes couples who fall in love should be like nn10's-full of problems. it makes it more realistic and less to be jealous about [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] But not for all though, yes sometimes it's nice to have it problem free. But doesn't everything have it's flaws? I better stop now, I'm spewing too much of the truth [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Nar]

I like reading about love, Lila, if it's rooted in comradeship. I like reading about friendship first, that's more important to me. LotR's strong on friendship, that's why I like it so much. I would put couples into your story-- any writer writes well about what's fun for him or her. NazgulNumber10, you know best what your story needs. Some stories are about a lone character's struggle against him/herself in difficult circumstances-- I've written a few like that, although the story I'm working on now has couples, a stoic young couple just gaining each other's trust and a wildly romantic but frusterated old couple. I've been feeling more comradely lately. When I was in a loner mood, I wrote loner-confronts-the-ugly-truth stories. I go back and forth.