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#fantasywritings
briarcrawford · 1 year
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Are Animals Becoming Extinct in Fantasy Novels?
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Recently, I read this post titled “Animals have been taken off in novels since 1835. Is fiction undergoing its own extinction event?” which talks about a study that found that since 1835, the use of wild animals in fiction has dropped drastically.
Many are blaming this “slow extinction” on modern societies disconnect to nature. After all, not everyone spends their days outside, so they might not notice mice, birds, or even the insects at their feet. If they do not think about animals in their daily life, why would they think about them while writing?
That is the theory, at least.
It is worthwhile pointing out what several other writers and readers are; there are plenty of animals in children’s fiction. That is true, but what about young adult to adult fantasy? Since that is what I personally write, that is what I wanted to talk about.
Just going off what books I think of first, it seems like often in fantasy novels, the only prey animals (like deer, squirrels, or rabbits) that we see are after nearly always during or after they are hunted. Then there is the complete lack of mosquitos, leaches, biting ants, and other annoying creatures.
Sometimes, there is a mention of the sound of birds singing, but rarely ever are there any details of the birds or what they are doing. Where are the ducks and swans on the lakes? Where are the birds building nests?
Now you may be going “What is the point? Why should I care?” and I get that, but by eliminating these creatures, your novels could be losing a sense of realism.
For example, in Stephen Kings The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon — which I argue is a light fantasy story, not a horror story — has a girl is lost in the woods and stalked by a creature. Interestingly, even most survival books fail to mention animals apart from for food, but Stephen King did not do that. He had deer, water bugs skittering across ponds, and even wasps that attack the main character. This added a sense of reality to the novel. It was not just a forest with some trees and plants, it was a forest filled with life, and that can be dangerous for anyone, let alone a young girl.
So, go ahead, raise the mood with your characters. If they are miserable, make them more so by having the mosquitos bite at them day and night or have them step in a anthill. If they are happy, they could watch a mother bird feeding its young or a swan rubbing necks with its partner.
Adding more hints of nature could not only amplify the mood, but it could also make your forests seem more real.
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poemsbysafia · 1 month
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وہ سلسلے ، وہ شوق ، وہ نسبت نہیں رہی ، وہ دِل نہیں رہا ، وہ طبیعت نہیں رہی .
Wo silsiley, wo shauq, wo nisbat nahi rahi, wo dil nahi raha, wo tabiyat nahi rahi.
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plotandelegy · 8 months
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Practical and Unique Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Design Ideas for Fantasy Writers
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 You've decided to destroy civilization in your fantasy novel? Sucks to be your character. Now let's make their situation a little better or worse but at the least unique, practical, and resourceful. 
Use What's Left Behind: The end of the world doesn't mean the end of human ingenuity. Think of what materials survived your apocalypse and how to reuse them. Crumbling skyscrapers can be reinforced and turned into vertical communities, or broken-down cars can be transformed into steel-tough barricades. Old school buses or train cars? 
The Importance of Defense: Your characters aren't the only ones who have survived. Threats lurk everywhere. Design shelters that have built-in defenses. Your skyscraper community may have drawbridges between floors, or your train car home can be easily detached and sped away in case of danger. Remember the secret exits!
Incorporate the Natural Environment: Trees, caves, and mountains offer robust options for post-apocalyptic shelter. A hollowed-out hillside, for example, provides cover from harsh weather and is easily defensible. Make sure the natural element isn't in a highly radioactive environment. The trunk of a massive, ancient tree could house an entire family. Underwater habitats in the middle of a lake or an ocean? 
Reinvention of Basic Utilities: How will your characters access fresh water, dispose of waste, or maintain a consistent food supply? A river or rainwater could be cleverly directed and filtered, or a salvaged solar panel can provide electricity for a makeshift greenhouse. Composting toilets aren't glamorous, but they get the job done. I may be too used to modern comforts because that last one is a big ew.
Adapting to Your Apocalypse: If you have a nuclear winter scenario, consider shelters with radiation shielding and heat sources. Alien invasion? Consider camouflage or underground dwellings. Zombie outbreak? Elevate your shelters; zombies can't climb! Well, I hope your zombies can't climb. If they do, you may be a sick unhinged person. Keep it up. Makes for better fiction.
Remember, It's Home: This is where your characters will spend a lot of time. Personalize these spaces to reflect the inhabitants. Maybe one character is obsessed with salvaging books, so there's a small library corner. Perhaps another is a mechanic, and there's a well-stocked tool area. Little details will make your post-apocalyptic shelters feel more like home. Or not. A lack of home-related details could add to a sense of impermanence. Having to pull up and run a lot, maybe leaving things behind in your haste, adds to the suspense.
No long ending paragraph today. Have fun writing!
-Indigo
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noodlenoises · 1 year
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I feel like there's not enough love for the delightfully silly and mundane parts of worldbuilding, like using your superpowers to heat your coffee, or navigating the subway station in a city of monsters without getting your soul sucked out through your face hole.
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roarintheheavens · 7 months
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My Marauders Opinions
Jegulus is such a bad ship. It's so unrealistic. Regulus is a bad person and James isn't the type to associate that. Does Regulus have the potential to be an extremely complex interesting character? Definitely, but not in a relationship with James and that doesn't make him a good person. He was a death eater, he agreed with his family and Voldemort's views. Did he redeem himself in the end? Yes. Right before he died.
There is nothing wrong with using He/Him pronouns for Sirius. Those ARE his pronouns. I personally do not think he is trans AT ALL but if you want to call him a she, I don't really care. It's not my problem, it's just kind of random.
All the girls had a crush on Sirius. You can't tell me otherwise. The only person more liked than Sirius was James.
Sirius and Remus are Bi but prefer boys.
James is straight but he's experimented and is really open about it.
Jily is endgame and Lily is the only person James every truly, romantically loved.
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ravensshire · 3 months
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I just posted my newest book "Monster Ecology" where I break down how magical creatures from Dragons to Owlbears might live and where they might live in a magical world.
This is good for those playing TTRPGs and writers who want to use it as inspiration in Worldbuilding.
There were about 20 free copies available.
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I have been writing like a man possessed. I have written 5,772 words since tuesday, bringing my total word count to just over 6,000, sitting at a nice little 6,260 words. The goal has been to hit around 55,000 to 61,000 or so, just within that general ballpark. I'm writing like crazy, and I am so close to petering out, but I also want to keep going. I've been telling myself that I will write at least 1,000 words a day, and for some reason it works? It's slow and I often just tab back into youtube and watch whatever I'm watching or listen to whatever I'm listening to on spotify. (I have listened to GOODING, Ghost, and Barenaked Ladies non-stop all day every day) If there's anything any of you take from this, please let it be that just doing it will feel good, and you'll hit that flow state and stuff will just come out somehow? I invented the deuteragonist today and I just feel like I'm on a roll, and all I've really done is just keep up a steady routine and pushing myself to hit a minimum. I know for a fact this would never work for everyone, but you should try it at least once. Just down a can of your preferred caffeinated beverage and get to work for 2 or 3 hours while you listen to your favorite artists or a podcast or something.
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omitsuishere · 3 months
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No intro post just needed to share some stuff i did for my "book" (dont think it deserve this appellation lol) 1st i created a full font with an alphabet i created (still dont know if i'm going to use this)
2nd everytime i imagine a quote that can hit hard i need to associate or create a character to fit it
3rd talking about my future character all the time without even creating an id card for them
4th everytime i log in pinterest there is dozen of images i can use for characters so i save them (even tho half of it wouldnt even be used)
5th spamming my friend with all of my idea plot without writing about it
6th searching for stuff like "title of nobility" just to have more realism
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kspendragon · 11 months
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someone please tell me to go and finish my manuscript. 
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jbankai89 · 4 months
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writtenbylevi · 9 months
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A wee introduction
Hello! My name is Levi Morton and I created this page as a sort of dumping ground for my writerly thoughts. A place for me to scream, cry, and laugh. To celebrate wins and write out the struggles. Name something a writer can be plagued with and I've got it in spades. Perfectionism, imposter syndrome, rejection sensitivity. But maybe (just maybe) we can make it a bit lighter together. I doubt I'll garner a huge audience here, but if you happen to pass by and follow me, thank you! I'm sure I'll be up to lots of shenanigans with some thoughts that should probably stay in a diary and some short stories that should probably stay in the drafts.
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briarcrawford · 11 months
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A Common Problem With Fantasy Castles: The Details
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Commonly, in both books and movies, the castles are shown or described as having bare, cold, stone walls and floors. They look dark, depressing, and sometimes not even all that impressive even though someone important is living there. What people are forgetting is that when you invite people into your castle, how it looks can be a representation of how powerful you are. As well as that, if you are going to live there, you will want to make it comfortable.
Yes some castles did have bare stone, but I just want to clarify that it is not your only option. Here are some ideas on how make your fantasy castles seem more interesting:
Flooring
Wood Stains. You can stain wood a variety of colors
Tiles. Hand-painted medieval tiles can be absolutely stunning (though expensive) and some have lasted even to today.
Rugs and Carpets. Not only do they help with warmth, but they can also send a message. If someone enters a castle and there is a rug on the floor that would have cost a fortune to make, that tells the visitor that this person has so much money, it is fine to walk on the rug.
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Walls
Whitewashing. Whitewashing castle walls(sometimes after smoothing them with plaster) was extremely common, which alone brings a lot of brightness to the room.
Fabric. Tapestry was a quick and less expensive way to add extra insulation to a room, and also added color. Imagine elaborate hand-stitched artworks.
Wainscoting. This is simply just wood added to the wall for decoration, but it can be expensive.
Stonework. The stone of the castle itself could be made beautiful. For an example of amazing carved stonework, look up Rosslyn Chapel.
Paintwork. Yes, medieval times did have colorful paints. Many of the mural decorations were incredibly detailed, but even simple flowers were popular to paint on walls.
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Other Décor
Even medieval people hung up items just for the sake of decoration. Commonly in movies, the most interesting thing you see on the walls is a coat-of-arms, or maybe a boars head, but you do have more options.
Suits of Armor. Many suits of armour for royals would never see battle, but they could be shown off. This was a way of showing your power. In fact, children, dogs, cats, and even elephants, have all had armour made for them, even though some of these would never see battle, or quickly grow out of the fit.
Imported Items. Imports were expensive, and having decorations from another culture made you look educated and rich.
Furniture. Could be metal, wood, or stone. It could be amazingly detailed.
Statues. Keep in mind that many of statues used to be painted, so they don’t have to all be void of color. They also do not all have to be about a families history; sometimes people are passionate about a certain subject. For example, a king might have an obsession with an ancient culture and collect statues about that cultures myths.
Weapons. I have been into a few castles where the collections of weapons cover the walls of the entire rooms.
Pottery. Ancient or simply just the most famous artist of the times.
Lighting. Candles, especially beeswax, were not cheap. Having enough candles to brighten an entire room is for sure a show of wealth.
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poemsbysafia · 6 months
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I think the most difficult part about growing as a person is unlearning the unhealthy coping mechanisms that kept you sane all this while, it’s like losing a part of yourself only to find out that it wasn’t really helping you to cope with the pain it was just distracting you from it.
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plotandelegy · 8 months
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Mastering Story Physics: Crafting Believable Magical Systems for Immersive World-Building
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Photo: Standard License - Adobe Stock
Have you ever read a book with a magical system so captivating you almost believe it's real? That's where story physics comes into play. It's like everyday physics, but instead of dealing with gravity or quantum mechanics, the rules are for our fictional universes. The more consistent and logical the rules are, the easier it is for readers to suspend disbelief and get lost in a story. If you're dreaming up a world of your own, here's a quick guide on getting everything to line up smoothly for maximum reader immersion. 
Begin with the Basics
Foundation: Start by understanding the natural world's physics. It helps to know the rules before you bend or break them.
Consistency: Decide on the rules of your universe and stick to them. If magic drains energy in chapter one, it can't be consequence-free in chapter five.
Limitations: Every system, magical or not, should have its limits. This can create tension, obstacles, and more intricate plots.
A Dash of Reality:
Relatability: Even if your world is filled with flying pigs, there's gotta be something relatable. Maybe those pigs need sleep, or they're terrified of storms. Ground some aspects in reality.
Cause and Effect: If a character uses a spell, there should be a consequence. It can be as simple as being tired or as complex as altering the fabric of the universe.
Complexity and Depth:
Layers: Think of your magical system as an onion Peel back layers to reveal deeper secrets or complexities as the story progresses.
Evolution: Allow your system to grow and change. Just like technology advances, so can magical methods or tools.
Character Interaction:
Practicality: If magic or advanced technology exists, characters should use it daily, not just in dire situations.
Learning Curve: Characters shouldn't master the system overnight. Watching them struggle, learn, and adapt can be super engaging.
Stakes and Balance:
Consequences: Every action should have an equal and opposite reaction. If someone's saving the world with their powers, what are they sacrificing?
Power Checks: Ensure there's something to check or counteract powerful entities. Without a good reason, no one likes an invincible hero (or villain).
-Indigo
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emlinden · 9 days
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This month's book recommendation post is now live over on emlinden.com! Today, we're taking a look at an Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 🔥
Visit the link above to check it out!
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aceofglaives · 2 months
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So, having adhd and writing as a hobby can be a challenge, to put it mildly.
I just made a plot for my fantasy novel, which I've been writing on and off on for the last 8 years.
8 years bro!
And now I've finally found that coffeewriting is the way to go! (The rule is, you write for as long as your afternoon coffee - or tea I don't judge - lasts, which let you skip the steps of page or word count, something that always stressed me out). ☕☕☕
Also, I might update my destiny fanfic (Lightbearer) before the end of this year 😭
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