The Whimsical Muse

05 - It's My World I can Write Anyway I Want

Not necessarily, unfortunately. This applies even within the realm of fantasy, probably more so. Why? Because you never know the reasons a potential reader is going to want the read your book. They want and need to be able to picture the world you are talking about.

The thing about fantasy worlds is that in a great many ways they often, unintentionally, mirror the real world. This is true in various genres ranging from whimsical worlds such as Tolkien's Middle-Earth to futuristic technological world of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. Again, this reflects the use of 'modern day' terminology as opposed to creating an entirely new language.

One example of the major pitfalls of creating an entirely new language is Tolkien with his various elven languages. It can be frustrating, particularly to fan-fiction writers who prefer to insert the elven phrases within their story. This is because the language was not fully developed in terms of a primarily English reader. Why? Tolkien structured his elven languages much in the same way as the German language, specifically in terms of sentence structure. The best example of this would be the sentence "Do not talk to the bus driver." The sentence is structured in both the American and British format. However, the literal translation of that same sentence in German is "To the bus driver, do not speak." Therein lies the quandary for creating new and different languages that can be grasped and fully understood by the reader.

I admittedly use a lot of Tolkiens' elvish languages in writing my Tolkien fanfiction. I do try to limit it to one or just a few words at a time because it can be disruptive to the reader when there is a lot of dialog in a fantasy created language. However, I do feel that having different languages in a story helps to deepen and or enrich the differences between different races and cultures in a story. They have their place and work effectively if used sparingly.

Similarly with cultures and lifestyles because there is always a set hierarchy within the story. A fact that is particularly evident in that many fantasy storylines tend to resemble a real-world history more commonly associated with medieval times. These hierarchies are often very similar to what history reveals about Great Britain, France, and even the Orient during the 16th through the 18th centuries. This hierarchy is recognized primarily because the 'culture structure' within most fantasy stories will include kingdoms which means a Monarchy where there is a King and/or Queen, along with Lords, Ladies, and other noble ranks. Those stories based in the Orient will include Emperors and/or Empresses' as the rulers.

In a great many ways it's comparative to using 'common denominators' in your story by using things the reader is already aware of even if it's on a subconscious level. The topic of history has been taught in schools since the beginning of time and more often told from the perspective if the country, nation, or kingdom writing the history. This establishes the 'common denominator' or the 'point of reference' that will influence the readers' perception of a story. History is taught from one perspective in one country and yet another perspective in another country.

Structuring and presenting your fantasy world with these parameters in mind is essential! If a reader cannot relate to the world you have created, they are not likely to finish the story nor will they recommend it to their friends who share the same interest in reading material. Your world needs to be a believable place, it needs to appeal to the readers' sense of reason.

Creating new unexplored worlds can be extremely fun yet exhaustive as well. This is primarily because you will be somewhat losing those "common denominators" your readers rely on to visualize, understand, and follow your story. It's clearly not impossible! One way of doing this is through the use of descriptive writing along with your dialog. Readers will be able to understand the government, social structure, culture, religious system, etc. through various situations and conversations between your characters.

Personally, I'm a 'visual' writer in the sense that the scenes are playing out in my mind as I'm writing as well as when I'm reading. When writing it's extremely frustrating because there are times when my fingers can't keep up with what I'm seeing with my 'mind's eye' so to speak. All of which is similar to the way a reader is going to read the story, they are most likely trying to visualize the story as they are reading it. Trust me, a serious reader will 'see' all of your shortcomings!

Although I refer to myself as a writer, I am also an avid reader! There are numerous websites where these aspiring authors can 'publish' their stories and receive feedback, all of them have their pros and cons.

If I could make any suggestions to anyone, from a readers' point of view, there are essential elements that make a story readable:

The storyline needs to be believable in the sense that it can be visualized by the reader, they are not dummies! The important aspects of believability include but not limited to such things as physical confrontations whether it is a battle scene or an intimate encounter. Believe me, readers will notice whether the characters activities are anatomically possible.

The storyline needs to flow in some kind of chronological format. This is all too often disrupted by new or beginning writers who overuse flashbacks which can ruin a potentially great story. While they serve a purpose if used properly, a character's backstory should be presented in bits and pieces throughout the story to help build the intrigue and suspense.

Character continuity is also essential to a story. Writers need to fully develop their characters right down to the simple points such as their favorite color or whether they are vegetarians or not. They need to have their own manner of speaking, this creates and establishes 'their voice' and who they are in the storyline

The last suggestion involves the use of Point of View (POV) and it is key in telling your story. Each one of your characters should be developed enough to have their own manner of speaking and it should be distinctive, having varying differences from other characters. It should also not sound like you as the writer, which can be difficult for some writers' depending on their native language and the one they are attempting to use in the story. Some words and phrases lose their meaning in translation, unfortunately.

Please feel free to comment!!