Personal thoughts on writing fantasy?

[Ursa major]

That's a good point, Teresa.

One thing that has got me to the end of writing three books** (publication is an entirely different matter), is wanting to know how each turns out. Even where I have a really good idea where each plot strand is headed, this is not the same as having the fully fleshed-out story strands' completions on the page in front of you. (Of course it isn't; otherwise we'd be suckers for reading book synopses rather than the books.)



** - I've always been a better starter than finisher, so when I completed my first draft of a novel, no-one could have been more surprised than me.

 

[chopper]

i know where mine are going, i just can't get the journey finished...
but that's not a problem. the difference is, having spent several years on one project, that i know it's worth finishing, if only so that i can be proud of it myself.

 

[Ursa major]

i know where mine are going, i just can't get the journey finished....

Perhaps your characters want to go elsewhere. They can be nuisances in that way.

 

[Toby Frost]

Regarding the position of SFF on creative writing courses etc, I think it is rather a double-edged sword. There are still very many people who see SFF as inherently badly-written or written to such strange rules as to have almost no overlap with non-genre novels. They usually don't read SFF beyond looking at the covers - or, if they do, they read SF novels by "literary" writers who are often saying very much the same thing writers firmly in the SF genre did twenty years earlier.

However, I would say this: once upon a time there was a (small) degree of truth in this. It wasn't wholly true, but when you read some of the technical, bloodless - but still very good - SF of the Golden Age, you can start to see the point. Fantasy also has to accept some share of the blame: has one author, for good or bad, ever cast so much of a shadow over a genre as Tolkien? But anyway, the people who make these points were exaggerating to begin with and are out of touch now.

I do think there is a lot to be gained in reading older SFF and books published outside the genre, especially given that there is a lot of focus on character and plot in SFF these days, just like there is in crime and many other sorts of writing. Many of my favourite novels are not SF, and I have learned a lot from them.

I can't remember who it was, but someone once said that being original didn't involve doing what nobody else had done before, but doing exactly what you wanted to do yourself. While I'd be wary of writing on the basis of "I wish I'd written Book X, so I'll give it a go", writing exactly what you would like to see printed can be a good way to start.

 

[Tayfax]

Worries like this kept me from writing for years. I wouldn't accept anything I wrote unless it was "original," and you can guess how much 100% original material my high-school self turned out.

During college, though, I focused in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Analyzing authors like Milton, Shakespeare, Spencer, and works as old as Baeowulf eventually led me to rethink my position. Gradually I accepted that the works I cherished and absolutely refused, in the name of originality, to emulate were by no means original themselves.

Everyone draws from a source. As Carl Sagan said, not in relation to this topic, but still applicable, "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."

Creation from scratch is unreasonable. Duplication, to an extent, is unavoidable. The Chronicles of Narnia, almost all of Shakespeare's plays, The Wheel of Time, The Sword of Shannarra, The Sword of Truth, even, (dare I say it?) The Lord of the Rings: none of them are wholly original.

But, they brought something new to the game.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I'm afraid I can't agree with your teacher. Science fiction and fantasy (and sometimes a little horror and humour) are all I read, and so they are all I really can write. I don't know anything else.

As for is it copying, no not really in my opinion. There is no such thing as a truly original story, and when writing fantasy especially, its almost predetermined that you'll end up using traditional concepts like elves and wizards in pointy hats etc. The writer I think puts his stamp on it more in how he deals with the details, paints the picture and shapes the characters and journeys. Lots of little things usually rather then massive shifts in world view etc.

I agree with the others, write. Write for yourself, enjoy what you write, and when you're ready get someone to look over the work. They'll be a better judge of originality since usually you as the writer are too close.

Cheers.

 

[Colbey Frost]

I think the way you actually write and put forward a story seperates you from the rest. You can be original by telling the same story from different characters and angles.

If you find yourself drawing inspiration from different books and idea's then start off with these idea's and mould them because in time as you write, they will become something original in their own right anyway.

Write your book, for that is hard enough in itself, then worry about such thing later. We write for ourselves and share with others.

 

[RJM Corbet]

... "Every time I start putting together Ideas I compare it to other stories I have read. I look at the plots and always find a connection to a story I really love, like Lord of the Rings, and I instantly think I am a hack. I put the idea away and move on." ... The reason I brought this up is that now I get the same feelings ... and feel that I am just an amature with no original thoughts...

... Nobody else is going to write this book if I don't, so if I want to read it, I'll have to be the one who writes it ... I think that anyone who writes for any reason (fame, wealth, admiration) other than because they enjoy it is heading for a life of dissatisfaction and disappointment ... so we have to love it, because sometimes that is just about our only reward ... But there are things that are merely derivative and then there are things that show a poverty of imagination ... I want to be sure that however much inspiration I may take from other writers, my writing should always have something about it that is purely my own.

This is exactly the point I was trying to make in the 'contamination' thread -- the result of which was Teresa's observation that it doesn't matter if it's been done before, it's how you do it.
Remember 'Independence Day' the movie? Aliens invade Earth, Earth fights back? Not exactly new, but it's how the movie treated the idea, Will Smith's humourous character, the tongue in cheek stock characters, the washed up drunken pilot, etc.
When I came out of the cinema, I was looking for those things in the sky.
Nevertheless, it does prove that for some writers it may be better to avoid reading the genre they're writing in, for exactly the reason Arkose has outlined above.
Regarding writing courses, I doubt anyone will find a better one than the SFF Chrons. 'Nuff said ...

 

[Kiercoria99]

Writing classes can give you some basic nuts and bolts, technique and general writing information. They can give you a captive audience and feedback. They can help you decipher for yourself the critiques, opinions and tips to take to heart and those to let fall away. If you have a hard time getting started, they help with that. You may even meet some realtime writers whose work you enjoy and create a live writer's circle.