There are pretty much two ways a sf/fantasy writer can go about writing and worldbuilding: come up with a story, and build a world for it to be in; or build a world, and come up with stories to put in it.
One way to think of this is the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. The Star Wars universe is really only about telling one story: the rise and fall of the Empire, and the concurrent fall and rise of the Jedi. I would argue that part of the problem with the Star Wars prequels is all they do-- all they really can do-- is set up the board for the story the universe has been built to tell. Star Trek, on the other hand built its universe out of telling many different stories, and has the ability to telling many, many different kinds of stories. Of course, with the Star Trek universe, you've got a lot of patchwork worldbuilding, held together by spackle, baling wire and wishful thinking.
There's no right or wrong in this, mind you. Like plotting/pantsing, whichever method works best for your own particular style is the right way to go. However, both methods have their challenges.
Personally, I'm a Method Two guy: I start with crafting and detailing the world, and the process of doing that opens up the avenues for stories. The challenge behind that is narrowing things down to figure out what, actually, you need to write in that world. With a whole wide world of grand and epic scope, you want to treat the whole thing like an enormous brood of children. No one gets neglected. So a world that has the potential for many, many stories might not yield any stories, because no singular story you write can be as grand and far-reaching as the worldbuilding work you've done.
This was exactly my problem with my trunked project Crown of Druthal. It was nothing but a travelogue, going from place to place with no through-plot and little purpose. And why was that? Because I had made EVERYWHERE and therefore I had to go EVERYWHERE. It wasn't until after realizing the flaws with that mindset that I was able to narrow my focus to one city, and let the rest of the world only brush up to it, as the rest of the world would in a cosmopolitan city. I had a similar problem in the space opera setting for Banshee-- I had defined so much, I had to force myself to narrow the focus of what the story actually was going to be.
So why not do it the other way, and build the world to suit your story? Of course you can, like I said, nothing wrong with that. The challenge there comes from when you need or want to do more beyond that story. I've mentioned this before with David Eddings. Everything in The Belgariad was set up to tell that story, as the ultimate, saving-the-world, fulfill-the-prophecy, make-everything-right story. And then a sequel series was asked for. So they had to undercut The Belgariad by essentially saying, "Yeah, that was the dress rehearsal. Here's the REAL event." Of course, building the world to fit the story you've come up with doesn't have to have this problem. Sometimes doing it that way can open all sorts of avenues to new stories that you hadn't imagined to begin with.
Showing posts with label Eddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eddings. Show all posts
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, November 5, 2012
Fantasy Fiction and Democracy
Let's face it: democracy is not a key factor in most fantasy fiction. It is a genre that has its foundations built on a primarily European-based aristocracy/nobility model. One of the tired tropes of the genre is the idea of rule-through-birthright: the king of Return of the King is the great-to-the-infinite-power grandson of a long-gone king, and the rulers of Gondor are "stewards" who have essentially been waiting for an heir of Isildur to bother to show up and claim his throne. Same thing in The Belgariad: Garion is the heir of the secretly-preserved line of Riva, and the empty throne has waited for the Rivan King to show up for 800 years.
Seriously, these are some patient people, since they go centuries working on the premise of, essentially, a temporary regency waiting for the "proper" ruler to show up, even though the ancestor who last occupied the throne is long out of living memory.* Why do they put up with this? Because, apparently, in this type of fantasy, birthright never fades. Nobility is important.
I'm not entirely immune to this: Druthal has a king (Maradaine XVIII) whose line comes from the first king of Druthal (Maradaine I), and that line being on the throne was not continuous. There are some key differences, though: The line broke in the first place because the son of Maradaine I was something of a dullard, so other various lords quietly shuffled him to the side while someone else claimed the throne. Second, the line was restored to the throne nine centuries later not out of prophecy or divine providence, but because a small group of conspirators discovered that a minor noble they liked was a direct descendant of that dullard son, but more importantly because the current king was a complete and total loon and they were desperate to get rid of him. So the line claim was really only about giving their revolution a bit of extra legitimacy. It didn't launch a golden age where everything in Druthal was now wonderful since the Rightful Line was Restored.**
But, while I have those European nobility influences-- Druthal has a king, not to mention archdukes, dukes, earls and barons-- it also has a Parliament. An elected Parliament, where the real legislative power lies. Democracy is a crucial element of how Druthal works. The people's voice is important, even if it gets corrupted and twisted and bought out from time to time.
I am having fun with that in Way of the Shield, where the partisan make-up of the Parliament, how various aspects of the press interpret what the Parliament does, how people feel about the Parliament (ESPECIALLY Dangerous Fringe Elements) all come into play. It's messy, because democracy is messy, which is how I like it.
I won't get too political here, but the thing I love about democracy is the element of dissent and disagreement. I love that I can have an enormous, pitched argument with someone on the polar opposite side of an issue, and the end of the day, we'll both think the other guy is just plain wrong, but neither of us is going to get taken in by the police in the middle of the night for what we said. And in a little bit, we're going to have an election, and shortly afterwards a little more than half of us will be pleased, and a little less than half will be pissed. But that little-less-than-half will dust themselves off and gear up for the next fight. And that's awesome. That's what it's about.
And, hopefully, I can work a bit of that into by fantasy writing, and get some good drama out of it.
---
*- Essentially, even though both LOTR and Belgariad have functionally-immortal characters. Strictly speaking, there is living memory of Isildur and Riva, but it's not amongst the common people living day-to-day under the regency rule.
**- Also note, this is just an incident in the extensive history my insane-worldbuilder brain has created. It's three centuries before the stories I'm telling.
Seriously, these are some patient people, since they go centuries working on the premise of, essentially, a temporary regency waiting for the "proper" ruler to show up, even though the ancestor who last occupied the throne is long out of living memory.* Why do they put up with this? Because, apparently, in this type of fantasy, birthright never fades. Nobility is important.
I'm not entirely immune to this: Druthal has a king (Maradaine XVIII) whose line comes from the first king of Druthal (Maradaine I), and that line being on the throne was not continuous. There are some key differences, though: The line broke in the first place because the son of Maradaine I was something of a dullard, so other various lords quietly shuffled him to the side while someone else claimed the throne. Second, the line was restored to the throne nine centuries later not out of prophecy or divine providence, but because a small group of conspirators discovered that a minor noble they liked was a direct descendant of that dullard son, but more importantly because the current king was a complete and total loon and they were desperate to get rid of him. So the line claim was really only about giving their revolution a bit of extra legitimacy. It didn't launch a golden age where everything in Druthal was now wonderful since the Rightful Line was Restored.**
But, while I have those European nobility influences-- Druthal has a king, not to mention archdukes, dukes, earls and barons-- it also has a Parliament. An elected Parliament, where the real legislative power lies. Democracy is a crucial element of how Druthal works. The people's voice is important, even if it gets corrupted and twisted and bought out from time to time.
I am having fun with that in Way of the Shield, where the partisan make-up of the Parliament, how various aspects of the press interpret what the Parliament does, how people feel about the Parliament (ESPECIALLY Dangerous Fringe Elements) all come into play. It's messy, because democracy is messy, which is how I like it.
I won't get too political here, but the thing I love about democracy is the element of dissent and disagreement. I love that I can have an enormous, pitched argument with someone on the polar opposite side of an issue, and the end of the day, we'll both think the other guy is just plain wrong, but neither of us is going to get taken in by the police in the middle of the night for what we said. And in a little bit, we're going to have an election, and shortly afterwards a little more than half of us will be pleased, and a little less than half will be pissed. But that little-less-than-half will dust themselves off and gear up for the next fight. And that's awesome. That's what it's about.
And, hopefully, I can work a bit of that into by fantasy writing, and get some good drama out of it.
---
*- Essentially, even though both LOTR and Belgariad have functionally-immortal characters. Strictly speaking, there is living memory of Isildur and Riva, but it's not amongst the common people living day-to-day under the regency rule.
**- Also note, this is just an incident in the extensive history my insane-worldbuilder brain has created. It's three centuries before the stories I'm telling.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Next Big Thing
Rebecca Schwartz tagged me in her Next Big Thing entry. So here are my answers:
1. What is the title of your Work in Progress?
It's called The Way of the Shield, though the title itself is a work in progress. I've also got a short story brewing that, right now, I'm calling "Hard Vacuum Coyote", but that's still in its nascent stages.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
That's actually a complex question. The main drive of it was to explore a place where traditional fantasy-- kings and knights in armor and such-- and modern, complex social structure overlap and clash. There is an old order of traditional warriors, and young men who still want to be a part of it-- but in a setting that has more in common with 19th Century London or Boston. What role can that old order have-- as well as the traditional nobility-- in a society with a standing army, city constabulary and elected officials?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
It's fantasy, though I'm not sure of the subgenre. Political/action fantasy?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
You know, I never like thinking in terms of actors-- certainly not famous ones. Because more often than not, the best choice is someone who doesn't bring too much baggage to the table. I mean, if you asked Suzanne Collins when she was writing Hunger Games, I doubt she would have even been aware of Jennifer Lawrence.
(That said, at 6'3" with a puppy-dog honest face, Liam Hemsworth from Hunger Games wouldn't be a terrible match for Dayne.)
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Disgraced warrior returns home to find himself neck-deep in political scandal, assassination plots and revolution.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Agency.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Again, a complicated question. I first conceived of the book back in 2008-- when I also came up with Thorn of Dentonhill, Holver Alley Crew and Maradaine Constabulary. All four are in the same setting, but as separate "book one of a series" concepts. I wrote Thorn first, with the idea that I would do Shield second. But then Holver Alley felt right as the second, and the Constabulary as the third, with Shield getting pushed back each time. I didn't get properly started on it until March 2012, and even then, it's been in fits and starts, as other things (such as minor rewrites of the other three) took some of my attention. But it's still being drafted, hopefully finishing the rough draft by the end of the year.
8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
I'm not sure. In genre, the closest thing I can think of would be David Eddings's The Elenium-- for the knightly orders and the politics. But there are a lot of out-of-genre influences, so it ends up being the small junction in a Venn diagram of The Elenium, Les Miserables and The Pelican Brief. That's a strange combination. I'm sure there's a spot-on in-genre comparison that I'm ignorant of.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Daniel J. Fawcett has been my long-term brainstorming partner, and so a great deal of my inspiration comes from hashing out core ideas of the fantasy genre and worldbuilding with him. Pure and simple, the city of Maradaine (and the rest of the world around it), as well as the characters that inhabit it in all four books, would not be what they are without his input and influence.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I'm challenging myself on this one with my first attempt at a solid romantic subplot. So if that's the sort of thing you need in your fantasy books, it'll be there. But if you need guys with swords hitting each other, there's that as well.
1. What is the title of your Work in Progress?
It's called The Way of the Shield, though the title itself is a work in progress. I've also got a short story brewing that, right now, I'm calling "Hard Vacuum Coyote", but that's still in its nascent stages.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
That's actually a complex question. The main drive of it was to explore a place where traditional fantasy-- kings and knights in armor and such-- and modern, complex social structure overlap and clash. There is an old order of traditional warriors, and young men who still want to be a part of it-- but in a setting that has more in common with 19th Century London or Boston. What role can that old order have-- as well as the traditional nobility-- in a society with a standing army, city constabulary and elected officials?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
It's fantasy, though I'm not sure of the subgenre. Political/action fantasy?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
You know, I never like thinking in terms of actors-- certainly not famous ones. Because more often than not, the best choice is someone who doesn't bring too much baggage to the table. I mean, if you asked Suzanne Collins when she was writing Hunger Games, I doubt she would have even been aware of Jennifer Lawrence.
(That said, at 6'3" with a puppy-dog honest face, Liam Hemsworth from Hunger Games wouldn't be a terrible match for Dayne.)
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Disgraced warrior returns home to find himself neck-deep in political scandal, assassination plots and revolution.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Agency.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Again, a complicated question. I first conceived of the book back in 2008-- when I also came up with Thorn of Dentonhill, Holver Alley Crew and Maradaine Constabulary. All four are in the same setting, but as separate "book one of a series" concepts. I wrote Thorn first, with the idea that I would do Shield second. But then Holver Alley felt right as the second, and the Constabulary as the third, with Shield getting pushed back each time. I didn't get properly started on it until March 2012, and even then, it's been in fits and starts, as other things (such as minor rewrites of the other three) took some of my attention. But it's still being drafted, hopefully finishing the rough draft by the end of the year.
8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
I'm not sure. In genre, the closest thing I can think of would be David Eddings's The Elenium-- for the knightly orders and the politics. But there are a lot of out-of-genre influences, so it ends up being the small junction in a Venn diagram of The Elenium, Les Miserables and The Pelican Brief. That's a strange combination. I'm sure there's a spot-on in-genre comparison that I'm ignorant of.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Daniel J. Fawcett has been my long-term brainstorming partner, and so a great deal of my inspiration comes from hashing out core ideas of the fantasy genre and worldbuilding with him. Pure and simple, the city of Maradaine (and the rest of the world around it), as well as the characters that inhabit it in all four books, would not be what they are without his input and influence.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I'm challenging myself on this one with my first attempt at a solid romantic subplot. So if that's the sort of thing you need in your fantasy books, it'll be there. But if you need guys with swords hitting each other, there's that as well.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Fantasy Tropes: The Noble Warrior
Generally speaking, the classic Anglo/Francan/Germanic knight doesn't exist in Druthal or Maradaine. It's a trope that doesn't fit with the worldbuilding I've done, despite it's longstanding place in the genre. Don't get me wrong, I like a good full-plate clad knight thundering on his horse as much as the next guy. But it's not something I'm interested in putting here.
That said, I do have two elite warrior orders in Druthal, neither of which fit the traditional "knight" model. (There are also various elite orders in other cultures throughout the world-- it is a common trope for a reason.) However, on some level, I'm dissatisfied with these two orders.
Conceptually, I still like them. On a basic level, they represent two sides of the same coin. One specializes in offensive combat; the other, defensive. It's the defensive order that is the focus of Way of the Shield, with the main character a fledgling member of the order.
Also, since Druthal as of 1215 has a centralized government and a standing army, an organization of specialized warriors with no direct accountability to that government becomes problematic. The orders still stand, mostly out of tradition, but their roles in society have become obsolete. This obsolescence is a key factor in Way of the Shield as well. Dayne believes in the order, but he sees that others around him are using it more as a political stepping stone. Successfully joining the order offers a lot of social mobility. Dayne is the son of a horsegroom, and now he can rub elbows with nobles and parliamentarians.
So, what's my problem? The names of the orders.
That said, I do have two elite warrior orders in Druthal, neither of which fit the traditional "knight" model. (There are also various elite orders in other cultures throughout the world-- it is a common trope for a reason.) However, on some level, I'm dissatisfied with these two orders.
Conceptually, I still like them. On a basic level, they represent two sides of the same coin. One specializes in offensive combat; the other, defensive. It's the defensive order that is the focus of Way of the Shield, with the main character a fledgling member of the order.
Also, since Druthal as of 1215 has a centralized government and a standing army, an organization of specialized warriors with no direct accountability to that government becomes problematic. The orders still stand, mostly out of tradition, but their roles in society have become obsolete. This obsolescence is a key factor in Way of the Shield as well. Dayne believes in the order, but he sees that others around him are using it more as a political stepping stone. Successfully joining the order offers a lot of social mobility. Dayne is the son of a horsegroom, and now he can rub elbows with nobles and parliamentarians.
So, what's my problem? The names of the orders.
See, originally (the initial worldbuilding, which I did in my early 20s), I had named them the Vanguard (the defensive order) and Warlords (the offensive order). I still like the orders themselves as part of the worldbuilding, the culture. But the names? I'm less comfortable with them. "Warlord" conjures up images of despotic rulers. "Vanguard" means "the foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard" or "the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like." While it could be used for a warrior who stands in front, placing himself between others and harm, I'm not crazy about it.
But what to change them to? That's my question. I'd prefer not to simply have made-up names*. Druthal does follow certain anglo-saxon models, so names that derive from the plain English would be ideal. And ones that conjure up images of "defensive warrior" and "offensive warrior". But I'm at a bit of a loss as what those would be.
Or am I overthinking this? Are "Vanguard" and "Warlord" fine?
______
*- I do have a certain fondness for Eddings's Pandion, Genidian, Alcione and Cyrinic knights in his Elenium, but I would feel a bit gross simply mimicking that kind of name.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Old School Influences, Part the Second
Please forgive a certain degree of incoherence in this post. I'm not drinking coffee this week, and it's hitting me hard today.
I need to confess something about my influences: I was never that big into Tolkien. Frankly, several times in my teen years I butted my head up against Lord of the Rings to no avail. It wasn't until I revisited it in my twenties that I was able to get through it, once I figured out what parts I could skim and what to really read. Part of my problem is Tolkein is very, very enamored of giving things names, many different names.... and isn't all that interested in, you know, stuff happening.
I admit, I'm exaggerating for effect. But not by much. The point is, Tolkien? Not a big influence on me.
So what was, then?
If I'm being honest, I'd have to say it was David Eddings's The Belgariad. I know. I know. It's completely derivative. It's totally by the numbers. Everything in here is archetype, and it's totally on purpose. Eddings doesn't deny it in the slightest. He puts his hook in you, and you're sitting there going," "Oh, hey, he's doing this here to hook me." and yet... hooked.
What it really came down to was characters and dialogue. Eddings was the first fantasy I read that didn't try to be "high" fantasy. People talk like people. There's a snap and a patter to the dialogue. Despite everyone being on a big Save The World Travelogue Quest, people just chat and ramble on and tease and joke and act like a bunch of people who are traveling together.
And that's what elevated it above being just derivative and by the numbers.
I need to confess something about my influences: I was never that big into Tolkien. Frankly, several times in my teen years I butted my head up against Lord of the Rings to no avail. It wasn't until I revisited it in my twenties that I was able to get through it, once I figured out what parts I could skim and what to really read. Part of my problem is Tolkein is very, very enamored of giving things names, many different names.... and isn't all that interested in, you know, stuff happening.
"What happened to you?"
"As you may have heard, I was captured by the people of the hills of Jutrel, who are called the Jutreila, who are also known as the Hillmasters of Hemia. They took me across the Swamps of Sisssentaria, which the elves called the Illitírian Fens. This led us the the Pits of Helsinara, called Hudza-Küm by the dwarves and Úlieteza by the elves, where I was cast down, forever trapped."
"Then how did you escape?"
"You know of the one called Rathanor, also known as Jontor Helmin, also the Brown Wanderer, the Fox of Hulestia. The Elves called him Tríesiniilia, the dwarves know him as Hÿnsa the Bold, and the Orcs call him by the most terrible name in their language, which I will not tell you for it is most vile and despicable."
"Yes. He's standing right next to you."
"Well, he came and rescued me."
I admit, I'm exaggerating for effect. But not by much. The point is, Tolkien? Not a big influence on me.
So what was, then?
If I'm being honest, I'd have to say it was David Eddings's The Belgariad. I know. I know. It's completely derivative. It's totally by the numbers. Everything in here is archetype, and it's totally on purpose. Eddings doesn't deny it in the slightest. He puts his hook in you, and you're sitting there going," "Oh, hey, he's doing this here to hook me." and yet... hooked.
What it really came down to was characters and dialogue. Eddings was the first fantasy I read that didn't try to be "high" fantasy. People talk like people. There's a snap and a patter to the dialogue. Despite everyone being on a big Save The World Travelogue Quest, people just chat and ramble on and tease and joke and act like a bunch of people who are traveling together.
And that's what elevated it above being just derivative and by the numbers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)