Things fantasy writers do that I'll never understand

[VelvetWind8]

Thanks for sharing your views! As an aspiring author, I try to receive as many tips and advice as I can, while still mixing in my own style. You showed me many things I'd never thought of before, and some that I hadn't noticed, but I've skipped over chapters with filler so many times!

[dennalilly]

I agree with everything. 100%.

[gorboy]

I've never understood the problem with so-called name dropping in fiction. I think it makes the story more realistic and it actually draws me in more when writers do that. Some say it can date a story, but wouldn't it cement it in its time and thus give it historical vigor in the long run, as well?

[LeonWolf100]

this video been useful

thanks

[cookiemewmew]

Great video, a good reference to have. One thing, though: I'm not familiar with the term pseudo-medievalism. What does that mean?

[childofthemoor]

@cookiemewmew It means the world is medieval without taking into account how monarchies or feudalism actually workshere . It also means a medieval world wnot so pretty parts of pre-Industrial society are conveniently brushed aside. But this is all part of worldbuilding. Good worldbuilding can make me believe anything. :3

[cookiemewmew]

@childofthemoor Hm...okay, thanks for that. My story is in a vaguely medieval setting, so I'll keep that in mind, but I'm trying to develop the world as well as I can. Then again, no actual year is specified...

[Aslara]

Twilight is a perfect example of what you are talking about.It is a bad book, with perfect characters, with no plot and etc.But as long as there are morons, authors like Meyer will be published and sold.

[kalpfei1287]

ok, I got a good question for you if you don't mind. I am a newb but also I that a story that is longer then I wanted but my series doesnt have a real ending! would u read it?

[childofthemoor]

@kalpfei1287 You want me to give it a look? I love looking at manuscripts, but I am busy (full time school, part time work, amongst other extracurricular things), but if you have a few chapters or a part you want me to look at, or even a synopsis, sure!

[ravnicrasol]

I agree with most of your opinions on this one, though I do prefer a hard cover book, I don't want a brick to carry around in my spare time.

Though the main problem I've got is finishing the story, I somehow manage to stretch it out four hundred pages, seemingly without fillers, and yet I feel there's so much more to go through that I can't tell if it'll ever end.

I'm a newb in all this, so do you have any suggestions about how to end a story?, should it be split it into separate books?

[childofthemoor]

@ravnicrasol

Personally, I think, if you can make it one book, make it one book. Writers sometimes extend things needlessly, and some stories don't need to be 10+ series. Some do, and it works for them.

I consider it lazy writing to not give a conclusive ending, and just to write another story because you didn't know how to end it -- endings are hard, and every story is different, but it just takes a lot of thinking, editing, talking with beta-readers and so on, to figure out the right ending

[jofdw]

I'm just as sorry for cluttering your comments as the babykittenkiller :p

I just wanted to say one more thing: I'm not against hollywood or anything, they have produced some great movies over the years, but as far as fantasy goes, they have a lot to learn, that's my opinion. there, I've said it :p I'll shut up for now. hehe thx again for the vids!!

[childofthemoor]

@jofdw Oh, no, it's fine, I really don't mind. And yes, and I think an issue may be that people in America don't take fantasy seriously enough -- they think it's all formula, which isn't true, or is this terrible, cheesy urban fantasy kind of stuff. Pan's Labyrinth is excellent, as well as any of the Miyazaki movies, but none of them are American in the least.

[jofdw]

I'm just posting this as a warning to all fantasy fans, don't ever go see dragonball evolution, nor the last airbender (which was even worse now that I think of it...). In case of avatar, watch the anime again instead... I was just wondering when was the last time you all saw a great fantasy movie? I think, unless I'm missing something big here, mine was in 2006 (El Laberinto del Fauno - AKA Pan's Labirinth). I'm not even surprised it's not from hollywood... (cont.)

[jofdw]

(cont.) or so they think... I don't expect anyone here to have seen the dragonball: evolution movie, but me (as an anime fan) went to see it and it's the worst movie ever made in my opinion (and I'm studiyng for directing, so I've seen a lot of movies...) I'll just adress the fact that the scenario structure of hollywood is sooo obvious, and for some rediculous reason, they keep on using it... I don't get it. Goku didn't even go to school, that's why he's Goku for crying out loud. anyway, thx :)

[jofdw]

Hey Ashley,

One of the things that bothers me the most lately is fantasy stories (both in books, as in movies, especially movies...sight) where the protagonist starts off in highschool or any school for that matter. It's a lame attempt to adress the younger public, just as in a lot of anime, when fantasy can adress so much more then teenagers. I'd like to blame hollywood for this (in movies). they found a new solid "formula" for the fantasy genre that will never ever fail... (cont.)

[IKillBabyKittensLOL]

Sorry again for cluttering your comments but... You mentioned you write. Have you been published? Any books I can read of yours, you sound nice.

[childofthemoor]

@IKillBabyKittensLOL Oh no, don't worry at all! I am just sorry I couldn't get back sooner. I should have mentioned that those things like too-long books are pet peeves of mine, and not any serious literary criticism, though I do have a thing against filler. :) And I have been published IN a book, a short story in an anthology by Llewellyn Publishing (they're the big New Age publisher, at least in the US, with the moon on the side). The book is called Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction, and my

[childofthemoor]

@IKillBabyKittensLOL short story is called "We Have Come Home." Keep in mind that it was published when I was 17, so it's almost 4 years ago, but enjoy it. :)

[IKillBabyKittensLOL]

(sorry for taking up so much space, I type alot if I'm interested)

with you with trying to double space/big font and the misleading cover pages. It makes finding a good read so hard. I found a book, I believe it was called whisper, with a lovly black and white cover of ivy with a leaf splattered with blood. I thought it might be good but as it turned out it was a zoo girl with an unhealthy obsession with wolves because one has gold eyes, which quite frankly ALL wolves have. Quite honestly sucks.

[IKillBabyKittensLOL]

me as the end appears to quickly, I'm half way through a book and nothing has happened yet and I'm thinking: How the hell are they going to rap this up in a nice neat bow? Although theres normally a good ending I want to read more about the characters and world. In a fantasy book you have to tell the world everything, the jobs of people in them, the culture, religion, races and how this fits into the plot. I'm on a bit of a rant of my own it seems. Sorry, quite honestly though I agree -Cntnued-

[IKillBabyKittensLOL]

I much prefer longer series and books that are hard back. A hard thicker cover makes the book keep its shape and flatness, with a soft back I'm just too tempted to flick through its pages making its paper flaky and misshapened. I need long books to keep me interested, currently I'm reading Tunnels, I don't have to like the whole book as the settings and characters change after a period of time and eventually the plot will move on and characters die. A shorter book feels incomplete to -Cntnued-

[Grievar]

I think you have some really good observations and real critiques for popular fantasy writings. However, some of your points you make take away from your argument (such as talking about font styles as such.). Otherwise, good stuff.

[childofthemoor]

@Grievar Oh yeah, they latter stuff is more pet peeves than big critiques, forgot to mention where one part started and the other began.

[OHMYGOSHitsSARA]

use of their careless butchery of Christian canon.

[OHMYGOSHitsSARA]

Japanese writers are terribly guilty of not researching Christian mythology before making its elements large parts of their plotline. For example, Howl's Moving Castle includes Calcifer, a fire demon, and is set in a Western world. Sophie remarks that he must be "the good kind" of demon, completely neglecting that in Western mythology, there is no such thing as a "good" demon. I've also read several mangas based around angels or the Antichrist that become offensive and entirely un-readable beca

[childofthemoor]

@OHMYGOSHitsSARA True, but with Howl's Moving Castle, the original writer of the novel, Diana Wynne Jones, is British. I think she was writing him more akin to a "djinn" or a dark spirit akin to a less Christian, or more western pagan view. Still, yeah, I agree that many Japanese writers/manga-ka fail to research the mythology. Angel Sanctuary's Kaori Yuki did an amazing amount of research, although she takes a very liberal and inversed view of the Christian mythos, which although someone like

[childofthemoor]

@OHMYGOSHitsSARA @OHMYGOSHitsSARA ...like me might like, I can understand that it may be insulting to Christians. But I think butchering the names/laws/rules/etc. is far more insulting than changing perspective.

[MelinaPendulum]

OMG Neville/Luna! Perfect is used so that we can imagine perfection as we define it. Tricks!

I totally agree with everything you say *I bow down* I hate tacked on supernatural elements.

[childofthemoor]

@MelinaPendulum Yep, it's a pretty good trick, albeit a lazy one. I guess that's the reason Twilight fans argued over the casting of Edward, because all of them have a different idea of what perfection looks like -- ha!

Ughh, me too. And so many books are doing it now, I'm just like, why, people, why?!