Fellows,

The following exam is not my original work, but it happens to be, in a way, helpful. Take the fantasy you are currently writing and walk through each question, answering "yea" or "nay" in your head. This exam provoked me to approach my storytelling in a new way, and perhaps it can do so for you...though not without a headache first.



Feel completely unoriginal? Yeah...but honestly, the guy is right about a lot of things. I've modified my story a great deal since doing this exam, and let me tell you, it's far better!

Desiderio Domini,
Pavalini

That's a pretty good exam, but I answered nay to most of the questions concerning "Do you have...", "Does this describe...". Does that mean I'm original?

Mmm, I'm not too concerned about that list.

Why?

Because if you're a good storyteller, you can do any of those things, and if you're a bad storyteller, then anything you write will be lame along the lines of that list.

Be a good storyteller first, not worry about a do and don't list.

Still, Melody, sometimes it's fun to evaluate your story by someone else's standards.

I answered aye to the first question, and nay to almost all of the rest.
Ha! I used to think that my story was unoriginal. Maybe it still is, but at least it isn't a spin off of LotR. I feel better now.

Wow. I only answered 4,5,6, and 70 yes. The rest no. And the first three, well, I said yes to all three because each of them contains parts of my story, but not all. So I felt I honestly had to answer yes to all three even though they all mix into one original plot. . And 70, well, that's just a small one. I feel original, still.

Then I get to question 74. Is it? I mean, really, is it? Every fantasy work will have elements from greater ones (LotR, Narnia) and I think that though my MC goes on a quest to recover a dagger that has the workings of the world wrapped up in it, it's not a rip-off. It's in the same vein, but the plot is entirely different. People's backgrounds come from different places, and there's intriguing back-stories that motivate people to do different things. Shoot. But now I'm nervous. Is it? *wrings hands*

I do like that questionnaire though, shows how much of fantasy has been cliched, especially like the first ten questions. That sums up about ninety percent of fantasy plots, unfortunately, including mine.

eruheran

Nay to all! (YIPEE!)

The closest I can come to saying yes to a question is 36-got a place name, so far no character, though. But Mahui-Dai makes an awesome place name, doesn't it?

Well, Maybe yes to 70, one of my villains is going to destroy a whole race because he needs a place to live, but he isn't doing it as punishment.

Well, Merashath, the fact that you've only written about a chapter in yours helps the fact...do you even know how the plot will end?

eruheran

YES I DO! And I've written 3 chapters, just for the record.

Sorry, harmless sibling argument.

Well, I answered yes to a few, but not all that many. *sigh* It's nice to know I'm basically original. (It probably also helps that I haven't completely read the Lord of the Rings books.)

Oh, another thing that helps me is that mine is a work of science fiction, so, all the sword stuff I just said 'no' and moved on.

I can't say that I've read all of LotR, either. Only fellowship, so I couldn't really answer the last two.

@Merashath: It does say fantasy-writers exam.

@Celestria: I think that anyone who hasn't read LotR or watched the movies definitely has an advantage, you're less inclined to steal stuff from Tolkien.

eruheran

Sci-Fi is fantasy, it's fantastic, isn't it?

I didn't say that I haven't watched the movies! It turns out they're some of my favorites. Lucky for me though, I started writing my first book before I really got into the movies.

Fun, sometimes.

Sorry, I just get touchy because I have self-esteem problems with my own work... :P I am an overeditor and an over-worrier. And so lists like this make me really jittery for no good reason!

"There is nothing new under the sun..."

*falls over GIGGLING*


Was anyone thinking ERAGON THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING?! ROFL!

I LOVE THIS LIST!


And...I don't think I said yes to a single one of those questions.:P But that's probably just because my stories are too boring to even include ONE elf, or ONE forbidden grave site.

Still. Thanks for posting. <3 it!

I was thinking Eragon and Ranger's Apprentice, personally. I think Chris Paolini's strong suit would have to be his descriptions, not his plot. This exam rules out like two thirds of his plot. (But isn't he the one that made 'mind-speaking' with dragons popular in the first place?)

eruheran

Everyone has a weak spot and a strong spot.

Example A: George Lucas (Star Wars - primary writer, usually also director). His weak spot is dialogue. (which sadly affects the acting quality of some of his actors)
But his strong spot is character development. (Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker being his two best characters, and two of the best characters I've ever seen, period.)

Example B: JRR Tolkien (Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion)

strong point - lots.

weak point - can move a little slowly and throw off many readers. (there's probably another one but I have to get off so I can't think of it)

No, that would be "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher," by Bruce Coville. Look it up. Paolini is a rip-off.

Deo Volente,
Pavalini

Ah, I will have to read that then. I haven't had much exposure to current-day fantasy, so I...miss stuff like that Anyways, I will look that up post-haste.

eru

This is a good thing to look at.

For my first book, to most of them I can answer nay . . . .My second book is another story. . . But, hehe, it's not even started yet, and I don't even know where it's going, so that's fine. I knew it was unorignal.

(Eragon; what got me writing. And yes my dragons mind talk, but it's not a special connection. And they can talk normally and shape shift too so. . . .not fully the same.)

Well yeah. It's that kind of a book.

Dwarves all the way!

Probably.

I hope so.

I am going to take this exam.

Although, there is nothing new under the sun, so lots of us can say that yes, in some form or another, our stories do do these things.

Hah! I took it. And here are the results, if you want to see them.

1. Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?

By the time I get to page 50, Tierin has not only found the Diegose, but also the journal, two major pieces to the story. Not to mention all the little stuff that happens in between. So I’m good on that one. But when you are talking 116,000 words, 50 pages is still pretty early in the book.


2. Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?

He’s a craftsman. His family lives on a vineyard, but the primary family trade is being molt harvesters/craftsmen. Tierin also has some scouting background, due to his father’s job.

As for mysterious parentage, I don’t see that that really matters. It is an interesting plot twist. While it may have been used many times before, you can always give a fresh take on this. This story aspect can be used again and again.

3. Is your main character the heir to the throne but doesn't know it?

Nope. We’re good there.

4. Is your story about a young character who comes of age, gains great power, and defeats the supreme badguy?

Yep, and proud of it. I like stories that show frail humans conquering not only their fears and insecurities, but being put against big problems. Now, I do not have my hero do all of this on his own. There are a lot of friends who help along the way and hold him accountable. However, my “powers” are not traditional. He, in and of himself, has no powers.

5. Is your story about a quest for a magical artifact that will save the world?
Nope. I’m good.

6. How about one that will destroy it?

Nope, I’m good.

7. Does your story revolve around an ancient prophecy about "The One" who will save the world and everybody and all the forces of good?

Yep. I like it that way. I have no defense for this one; I just like it that way. And so far, none of my Beta readers have complained about it.

8. Does your novel contain a character whose sole purpose is to show up at random plot points and dispense information?

Nope. I’m a character writer, more than anything. I like for all my characters to have background, purpose, and do things.

9. Does your novel contain a character that is really a god/elf/fairy in disguise?

First off, I don’t have elves, fairies, or gods in my story. So no. But I also don’t have anyone disguised as another race of humans.

10. Is the evil supreme badguy secretly the father of your main character?

*laughs * Yeah, no. Not a chance.

11. Is the king of your world a kindly king duped by an evil magician?

Nope. Not a kindly king. Used to be a kindly king, but he wasn’t dupes by an evil magician. He had family issues, and we’ll leave it at that.

12. Does "a forgetful wizard" describe any of the characters in your novel?

No.

13. How about "a powerful but slow and kind-hearted warrior"?

Nope.

14. How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"?

Not really. I mean, I have Fledgrin, who is a Mistrial, but he tells Tierin all sorts of things, typically. Occasionally he will withhold information, but not as a general rule.

15. Do the female characters in your novel spend a lot of time worrying about how they look, especially when the male main character is around?

Oh goodness no! Ick! I’m not into preening, at all, so it is certainly not portrayed in my females characters.

16. Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?

Yeah, anyone who knows me knows that is an emphatic no.

17. Do any of your female characters exist solely to embody feminist ideals?

Again, anyone who knows me knows this is an emphatic no, too.

18. Would "a clumsy cooking wench more comfortable with a frying pan than a sword" aptly describe any of your female characters?

Nope. Not a one.

19. Would "a fearless warrioress more comfortable with a sword than a frying pan" aptly describe any of your female characters?

Nope. Not a one.

20. Is any character in your novel best described as "a dour dwarf"?

Nope. Agmar is the closest thing you could come to that, and he loves to have a good time.

21. How about "a half-elf torn between his human and elven heritage"?

My MC is a “half breed”, his blood divided between two races (not elves, I don’t have elves), but there is no struggle over that. He’s fine with it, accepts it, and him coming to terms with it isn’t a focus in the book. Both races accept him.

22. Did you make the elves and the dwarves great friends, just to be different?

Again, I don’t have either.

23. Does everybody under four feet tall exist solely for comic relief?

For comic relief? No. I have a race under 4 feet, in fact, they are under 2 feet, but they are not there for comic relief. *chuckles * They are known as assassins, so no tie there.


24. Do you think that the only two uses for ships are fishing and piracy?

I actually have not used ships at all in my story. I mean, they are deep in the back plot. I mention a ship dock city at some point, but it is casual reference. In the third book of my trilogy, I may do some ship work, but I don’t know. I’m still tying up loose ends on book 2.


25. Do you not know when the hay baler was invented?

*smiles * I’m a farm girl, and a history buff, I know. However, I don’t mention those once. So not applicable.


26. Did you draw a map for your novel which includes places named things like "The Blasted Lands" or "The Forest of Fear" or "The Desert of Desolation" or absolutely anything "of Doom"?

Nope. Fantasical names are my way of naming. Losdensha, Maldonia, Palrithrian shores, that sort of thing.

27. Does your novel contain a prologue that is impossible to understand until you've read the entire book, if even then?

Nope, you figure it out about half way through. I mean, you understand what is happening, you just don’t know who the guy is in the scene until half way through.

28. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy?

Yep. I set it up as a trilogy. I knew I couldn’t fit everything in one book, and after carefully thinking about it, I knew I couldn’t end everything with a second book. But four would be too many, so I have a trilogy. Each book is approximately 115,000 words, and I’m finishing up book 2. So things are going well, and I see nothing wrong with a trilogy.

29. How about a quintet or a decalogue?

Nope.

30. Is your novel thicker than a New York City phone book?

No. It isn’t a thin 80,000 word fantasy piece, but we are not talking Inkheart thick here.


31. Did absolutely nothing happen in the previous book you wrote, yet you figure you're still many sequels away from finishing your "story"?

Oh no. Lots happened in the first book, beloved characters died *is still hiding from Elanor and Zoey, but especially Elanor *, and there is some torture and great emotional trauma in the first one. There is also some comedy, sufficient world building, and twists in the whole thing. So I think I’m fine. Number two has upped the drama a little, so that I build up my readers anticipation for the end even more.

32. Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?

Nope. I don’t feel the need.


33. Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?

*Smiles * Not at all. It’s Kaitlyn (no last name giveaways) and I have been absolutely truthful in every answer.

34. Is your novel based on the adventures of your role-playing group?

Nope. I don’t have one.

35. Does your novel contain characters transported from the real world to a fantasy realm?

Nope. Totally other world with its own rules, creatures, and landscape.

36. Do any of your main characters have apostrophes or dashes in their names?

No. I avoid those like the plague!!!!

37. Do any of your main characters have names longer than three syllables?

No, I don’t think so… I don’t even think the last names are longer than 3…


38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?

Well, not really. I mean, I’d never name a character that last name, but parents in the real world name their kids all sorts of awful things. I knew a girl named Takela, her brother was Sprite, younger sister Pepsi.

39. Does your novel contain orcs, elves, dwarves, or halflings?

Nope.

40. How about "orken" or "dwerrows"?

Absolutely not!


41. Do you have a race prefixed by "half-"?

Nope.


42. At any point in your novel, do the main characters take a shortcut through ancient dwarven mines?

Nope.


43. Do you write your battle scenes by playing them out in your favorite RPG?

Again, not involved in RPG, unless you count my Wii StarWars Lightsaber duels, or the Force Unleashed.

44. Have you done up game statistics for all of your main characters in your favorite RPG?

Nope.


45. Are you writing a work-for-hire for Wizards of the Coast?

Uh, no. *shakes head *


46. Do inns in your book exist solely so your main characters can have brawls?

Never had a brawl in one yet. And only ever visited two. One in the first book, a very brief second time in the second book.


47. Do you think you know how feudalism worked but really don't?

No.


48. Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place?

No, I keep the journeying down low. It gets boring after a while, and if you’re not careful, you can lose your audience.

49. Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot?

No.


50. Do any of the magic users in your novel cast spells easily identifiable as "fireball" or "lightning bolt"?

I do not have spell casters. An MC can breathe fire (not a dragon), and another MC can use energy charges, but I’m okay with that.


51. Do you ever use the term "mana" in your novel?

I’m not sure why I would, or why that would be a problem…

52. Do you ever use the term "plate mail" in your novel?

Plate mail? No. Chain mail, I reference at some point, and plates are mentioned when eating (not always), but not plate mail.


53. Do you ever use the term "hit points" in your novel?

Again, I’m not sure why that would matter, but no, I do not.


54. Do you not realize how much gold actually weighs?

Not really. I’ve never studied it, but as I have no reason to know the weight of gold in my book, I haven’t gone out of my way to figure out.


55. Do you think horses can gallop all day long without rest?

Absolutely not! I knew that before writing my book, but now I am quite educated on horse gaits, thanks to Evening L. Aspen, and her HW blog article on the subject.


56. Does anybody in your novel fight for two hours straight in full plate armor, then ride a horse for four hours, then go celebrate at the local inn all in the same day?

No. I make sure my characters have proper physical strain under exertion. They get tired, just like a real human.


57. Does your main character have a magic axe, hammer, spear, or other weapon that returns to him when he throws it?

No. Although the Oneedads have developed a weapon that does return when thrown. It is complicated, though, and not a “cheat” weapon. It has it’s dangers, and is not in the story for convenience.


58. Does anybody in your novel ever stab anybody with a scimitar?

I don’t have scimitars.


59. Does anybody in your novel stab anybody straight through plate armor?

No.


60. Do you think swords weigh ten pounds or more?

Swords are very heavy, and depending on the metals used and the design, can be extremely heavy. It takes a lot of strength to wield a sword, which is why a girl can’t just pick one up in the story and be a pro. She has to know how to handle the weapon, but she also has to have the built up strength in her arms to use it.


61. Does your hero fall in love with an unattainable woman, whom he later attains?

Not really. I mean, I’m not going to full answer this, because of beta readers possibly reading this, but no, I would say not.

62. Does a large portion of the humor in your novel consist of puns?

No. Puns can be rather corny, if used too much or if the pun is forced.


63. Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?

*laughs out loud * Now that is funny. No, he is not. First of all, he is never threatened by a little woman with a knife, but second… I can’t see him afraid of her.


64. Do you really think it frequently takes more than one arrow in the chest to kill a man?

No, it doesn’t. If the arrow hits certain parts of the body death can be very quick, but, for example, you can take multiple arrows to the shoulder, leg, or arm, and still keep going for a while. Until blood loss starts taking its toll.


65. Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?

Yes. I understand food well. I’m the primary cook in the household, and I make most food from scratch. So I know how long food prep is, even with modern conveniences.


66. Do you have nomadic barbarians living on the tundra and consuming barrels and barrels of mead?

Nope.


67. Do you think that "mead" is just a fancy name for "beer"?

Nope.


68. Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler, and one religion?

Multiple races of men, yes. No on the rest.


69. Is the best organized and most numerous group of people in your world the thieves' guild?

*smiles * Nope. I don’t even have one of those. I have the Markai and the Resistance.


70. Does your main villain punish insignificant mistakes with death?

Not always, but sometimes. Dunndar has bloodlust and enjoys inflicting suffering. He’s a complicated character. Depending on his mood, he would. However, on the whole, he would not. Also, Dunndar is not fond of death. He finds death rather merciful. Sort of a release from his hold on them. So no, not really, I guess. (just contradicted herself )


71. Is your story about a crack team of warriors that take along a bard who is useless in a fight, though he plays a mean lute?

Nope. No lute, no bard. I do have quite a few useful character when it comes to a fight, however.


72. Is "common" the official language of your world?

Meaning?


73. Is the countryside in your novel littered with tombs and gravesites filled with ancient magical loot that nobody thought to steal centuries before?

Nope. I do mention a graveside once… twice? But we are talking gravesides of loved ones, not rich rulers.


74. Is your book basically a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings?

No. Could you pull out a few things that may remind you of something in Lord of the Rings? Probably. However, there is nothing new under the sun. I got news for people, there were stories about treasure hording dragons before Tolkien wrote the hobbit. Does that mean Tolkien wrote a rip-off? No.

Lord of the Rings was epic. It was one of the first wildly successful fantasies. However, it wasn’t all original. Tolkien was epic, however he was still a human. We all pull from the world around us. Everything we “invent” or “create” first came from creation. God did it first. We all rip-off His master piece.


75. Read that question again and answer truthfully.

I believe I did.

*pants * Wow, that was long.

It looked it. I'd have trouble answering it because I don't actually have a fantasy novel anymore. *looks pointedly at metaphorical bonfire*

I might try it anyway.

In case you didn't know, 'mana' and 'hit points' are Dungeons & Dragons terms that it's been known for writers to copy indiscriminately.

Ah! Thanks, Varon. Now those questions made sense. Yeah, since I didn't even know that, they weren't in my books.

Yeah, that's why.

Yes, it was. But quite amusing.

Amusing? How so?

The nature of the questions made for interesting answers.

I was on question 15 but I had to go set the table. The draft didn't save.

Here are my answers to the quiz.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n17 ... t?hl=en_US

This looks fun, and despite the fact that I don't have a main story for Murel ATM. I think I'll give it a go.

I decided that I'm going to write this as if I was working on the story that I scrapped (Rural's story). This should really help in world building but I do plan on making Rrual's story a short story someday, so this will still be helpful in that respect also.

1. Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?
Sorry. Nothing's been written in the future short story. =P

2. Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?
Nope. He knows full well who his parents were.

3. Is your main character the heir to the throne but doesn't know it?
No. He knows his parentage. Besides, he's a man and at this point in Murel's history, the race of men don't have any kings or kingdoms.

4. Is your story about a young character who comes of age, gains great power, and defeats the supreme badguy?
Pretty much, except he defeats a whole race of badguys. :roll :

5. Is your story about a quest for a magical artifact that will save the world?
Yeah, the ice-phoenix sword. I haven't fully developed why Rural goes for the ice-phoenix sword when he could probably attempt to obtain more easily accessible phoenix swords, but I can work that out later... when I start writing this. =P

6. How about one that will destroy it?
No. I don't have any of those ATM.

7. Does your story revolve around an ancient prophecy about "The One" who will save the world and everybody and all the forces of good?
No. Rural's saving the world comes as a surprise to everyone.

8. Does your novel contain a character whose sole purpose is to show up at random plot points and dispense information?
No. (actually, it doesn't have more than 4 or 5 characters ATM =P )

9. Does your novel contain a character that is really a god/elf/fairy in disguise?
No. I don't know if I'd ever do this, but not in Rural's story.

10. Is the evil supreme badguy secretly the father of your main character?
*laughs* No. It would be impossible for the leader of the vampires to be Rural's parent. :roll :

11. Is the king of your world a kindly king duped by an evil magician?
No. There are three elven kings at this point in history, but none of them (at least to my knowledge) are being controlled by an evil wizard.

12. Does "a forgetful wizard" describe any of the characters in your novel?
No.

13. How about "a powerful but slow and kind-hearted warrior"?
*shakes head* No again.

14. How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"?
Closer, but no. I don't think the gryphon that might show up would qualify as a wise, mystical sage. He doesn't tell Rural what the ice sword he sent Rural after really is, but that's for his own good. *winks*

15. Do the female characters in your novel spend a lot of time worrying about how they look, especially when the male main character is around?
There is a possible female character, but 1) I'm not sure if she still exists, 2) she's been kidnapped by the vampires for very... evil... purposes, and 3) she's the MC's sister. There's no point in her trying to impress her brother. =P

16. Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
Actually... yes. *points at above question* That is still up in the air however and she might not even exist when I write the story.

17. Do any of your female characters exist solely to embody feminist ideals?
Definitely not.

18. Would "a clumsy cooking wench more comfortable with a frying pan than a sword" aptly describe any of your female characters?
Uh, no.

19. Would "a fearless warrioress more comfortable with a sword than a frying pan" aptly describe any of your female characters?
*shakes head* Again, no.

20. Is any character in your novel best described as "a dour dwarf"?
*thinks* No. Before I scrapped the story I hadn't decided what part the dwarves would play in the story. Even if I had though, he/she probably wouldn't be dour.

21. How about "a half-elf torn between his human and elven heritage"?
*chuckles* No. At this point in history, humans and elves don't associate much. The elves are so uppity and proud of their heritage they turn away a lot of humans and though a marriage between the two is possible, it doesn't occur often. Also, not much emphasis is placed on being half-elven. If one marries a human, their offspring is considered human.

22. Did you make the elves and the dwarves great friends, just to be different?
No. I actually don't like how they hate each other, it's so reminiscent of Tolkien. =P
At least I have a reason though. Ever since the elves were blessed by not being affected by the fall as much, and the dwarves were been cursed by being severely affected by the fall; the two races have constantly been in conflict and hated each other.

23. Does everybody under four feet tall exist solely for comic relief?
Um... I don't believe there is anyone under four feet tall... *measures how high that would be*. Some dwarves might be that small, but they wouldn't just exist for comic relief. They need to have a purpose if they are going to be privileged by being in the story. *winks*

24. Do you think that the only two uses for ships are fishing and piracy?
No. Ships would at least be used for transportation as well (now I just have to make Murel more than just one island =P ).

25. Do you not know when the hay baler was invented?
Uh... no. But I don't see how that matters at the moment. Someday, I'll study technology advancement to get a more accurate idea of Murel's progression in technology; but, at the moment, it's not a priority.

26. Did you draw a map for your novel which includes places named things like "The Blasted Lands" or "The Forest of Fear" or "The Desert of Desolation" or absolutely anything "of Doom"?
No. Ask anyone, I'm horrible at drawing. =P
However, when I do have a map, nothing will be named that. :roll :

27. Does your novel contain a prologue that is impossible to understand until you've read the entire book, if even then?
Hasn't been written yet. *winks*

28. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy?
No. It might go in an anthology for Murel, but no, not a trilogy.

29. How about a quintet or a decalogue?
*chuckles* See above. :roll :

30. Is your novel thicker than a New York City phone book?
Hasn't been written yet, but it definitely won't be any wheres close to that long. :roll :

31. Did absolutely nothing happen in the previous book you wrote, yet you figure you're still many sequels away from finishing your "story"?
Previous book? What previous book? *winks*

32. Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?
Not in the strictest sense. I'm planning to write some short stories that take place throughout the early years of Murel, but I don't think that really counts. =P

33. Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?
No, and I've never known a dog to lie, but no.

34. Is your novel based on the adventures of your role-playing group?
*chuckles* No, I don't have one.

35. Does your novel contain characters transported from the real world to a fantasy realm?
No. Murel stands alone. It has it's own science (ask me sometime how I changed Earth's science to make the sky of Murel tinted purple ) and there is no 'Earth'.

36. Do any of your main characters have apostrophes or dashes in their names?
I don't know yet. =P I'm currently developing Murel's primary language and though the equivalent of apostrophes and dashes might exist, I won't have apostrophes or dashes because the language will not be made up of modern-day Earth characters.

37. Do any of your main characters have names longer than three syllables?
Uh... Ru-ral. I'm good there.

38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?
Though Kaitlyn did make a good point, in Murel this wouldn't make sense. A huge emphasis is placed on names, and two names so vastly different in structure wouldn't exist together in the same language.

39. Does your novel contain orcs, elves, dwarves, or halflings?
No orcs (though I suppose my cobha would allow them) or halflings, but I do have elves and dwarves.

40. How about "orken" or "dwerrows"?
No. That's just weird. =P

41. Do you have a race prefixed by "half-"?
No. Like I said earlier, any mixing in races automatically makes the offspring "human".

42. At any point in your novel, do the main characters take a shortcut through ancient dwarven mines?
*chuckles* No.

43. Do you write your battle scenes by playing them out in your favorite RPG?
*laughs* No. I don't have a flexible RPG. But I would act out the battle scenes in front of a mirror or with friends. It helps to get the visual imagery.

44. Have you done up game statistics for all of your main characters in your favorite RPG?
*chuckles* Again, I don't play any flexible RPG's. Just computer game RPG's.

45. Are you writing a work-for-hire for Wizards of the Coast?
No. Never even heard of them. =P

46. Do inns in your book exist solely so your main characters can have brawls?
No. I'm not exactly sure about inns' place in Murel, but Rural's story doesn't have any brawls that I'm aware of.

47. Do you think you know how feudalism worked but really don't?
It's possible. I haven't turned my attention to that point in Earth history yet, so I haven't even formulated an guess.

48. Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place?
Actually, yes. =P I do hope to fix this problem though by changing the story to a short story similar in structure to The Tale of Beren and Lúthien.

49. Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot?
No. If a character didn't tell another character something important. He would have to have a reason better than it's convenient for the author.

50. Do any of the magic users in your novel cast spells easily identifiable as "fireball" or "lightning bolt"?
I haven't developed much yet. The magic is based on elements though, and fireballs and lightning bolts would be used. =P

51. Do you ever use the term "mana" in your novel?
Thank you, Varon, I had no idea what that was. =P I assume it's some sort of magic points or item that replenishes magic? No, I definitely do not use it. Magic is limited, but I wouldn't do something as ridiculous as have magic points and there is no specific item that can replenish magic like a herb replenishes hit points.

52. Do you ever use the term "plate mail" in your novel?
No. I assume this is from D&D as well? Chain mail makes sense, but plate mail would seem too heavy for its worth. =P

53. Do you ever use the term "hit points" in your novel?
I actually laughed out loud at this. There is no way that I would make a character have hit points. It is hard for me to imagine that a person can write this and get away with it. =P

54. Do you not realize how much gold actually weighs?
No. I haven't considered currency yet, but I will look into this when I do.

55. Do you think horses can gallop all day long without rest?
No. I hadn't needed to consider this yet either, but Evening's blog post was very helpful and when I do write about horses, I will go straight to a knowledgeable HW'er for help. =D

56. Does anybody in your novel fight for two hours straight in full plate armor, then ride a horse for four hours, then go celebrate at the local inn all in the same day?
That's ridiculous.

57. Does your main character have a magic axe, hammer, spear, or other weapon that returns to him when he throws it?
Considering my cobha... it would be possible... but rare. Besides, the magic wouldn't reside in the item used.

58. Does anybody in your novel ever stab anybody with a scimitar?
No. None of my peoples use scimitars at the moment.

59. Does anybody in your novel stab anybody straight through plate armor?
Again, plate armor sounds way to heavy to be feasible in battle, but I know that an ordinary sword would have no chance in piercing plate armor.

60. Do you think swords weigh ten pounds or more?
No.

61. Does your hero fall in love with an unattainable woman, whom he later attains?
*chuckles* No. I've toyed with the idea of a female vampire trying to seduce Rural, but there is no romantic relationship between Rural and the other (as yet non-existent) characters.

62. Does a large portion of the humor in your novel consist of puns?
As yet, there isn't even a short story. =P

63. Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?
*laughs* That question doesn't deserve a response. :roll :

64. Do you really think it frequently takes more than one arrow in the chest to kill a man?
No. That would be on very rare occasions.

65. Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?
I hadn't though much about it yet, but that does make sense and I would hope to do my research before making a blunder like that. :roll :

66. Do you have nomadic barbarians living on the tundra and consuming barrels and barrels of mead?
As far as I know, no one lives on the tundra. Everyone is further East.

67. Do you think that "mead" is just a fancy name for "beer"?
Hm... I wouldn't know the correct answer to this. *will look into this*

68. Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler, and one religion?
*laughs* No. The men in Murel are not unified currently and live in different villages under the control of one man in the village, one council comprised of people in the village, or by all members of the village. As for religion about half of them follow the creator and the other half follow false gods/demons.
The elves in Murel currently are split into three nations under the rule of a king each. Most of them follow the Creator (or believe they do), but their are a few that have chosen to worship the demons.
The dwarves in Murel live in different clans, the heads of the clans comprise a board of clan leaders (I think I was a little redundant there =P ) that make all the important decisions for governing themselves. Usually though they only meet when they go to war with the elves (which is frequently).

69. Is the best organized and most numerous group of people in your world the thieves' guild?
*laughs* No. The best organized at this point in history would be either the elves or the dwarves (it frequently alternates) and the most numerous are the elves.

70. Does your main villain punish insignificant mistakes with death?
No main villain at the moment...

71. Is your story about a crack team of warriors that take along a bard who is useless in a fight, though he plays a mean lute?
*chuckles* No.

72. Is "common" the official language of your world?
*chuckles* No. I'm not sure what it will be called yet, but it won't be called that.

73. Is the countryside in your novel littered with tombs and gravesites filled with ancient magical loot that nobody thought to steal centuries before?
*laughs* No. Actually, not that much time has gone by since the creation of Murel.

74. Is your book basically a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings?
I hope not. =P
I do have many elements that are similar to Lord of the Rings, but overall, I don't think it is a rip-off.

75. Read that question again and answer truthfully.
Yes. I believe I answered truthfully. =)

That took awhile.

@Kaitlyn About #72.
Basically it's asking if the main language in your world is called "The Common Tongue" or some such equivalent. Like in Star Wars where it's called "Basic".

Hmmm.... Then I would say no, I think. I mean, I have languages, I just don't go into a ton of depth. So no, no common tongue.

Okay, I decided to record my answers.
My story is half developed, with a few chapters actually written. But, I think I have the characters developed fairly well.


1. Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?
I haven't even written fifty pages...but no. Lots of things have happened already.

2. Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?
Actually, in a sort of way, yes. Although she's not really a farmhand, but she is a farm daughter. I don't think it's cliche, though, the way I do it.

3. Is your main character the heir to the throne but doesn't know it?
No, I don't think so. Well...no. She's not.

4. Is your story about a young character who comes of age, gains great power, and defeats the supreme badguy?
It is kind of a coming of age story, but the journey is mostly internal. The "badguy" both MCs have to defeat is their pasts.

5. Is your story about a quest for a magical artifact that will save the world?
No.

6. How about one that will destroy it?
No.

7. Does your story revolve around an ancient prophecy about "The One" who will save the world and everybody and all the forces of good?
Actually, I haven't decided. I have toyed with the idea of a prophesy, thinking it might add richness and depth to my plot, but I think I mostly abandoned the idea...or just forgot about it.

8. Does your novel contain a character whose sole purpose is to show up at random plot points and dispense information?
Mm, no.

9. Does your novel contain a character that is really a god/elf/fairy in disguise?
No.

10. Is the evil supreme badguy secretly the father of your main character?
Well...I have a creative variation on that cliche. But no, he is not. *picks up plot and twists it between fingers*

11. Is the king of your world a kindly king duped by an evil magician?
Nope, he's a revolutionary who violently overthrew the previous ruler. And he's trying to make it a democratic government. I think.

12. Does "a forgetful wizard" describe any of the characters in your novel?
Nope.

13. How about "a powerful but slow and kind-hearted warrior"?
I do have a character who is strong and kind-hearted. But not slow.

14. How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"?
Um, no.

15. Do the female characters in your novel spend a lot of time worrying about how they look, especially when the male main character is around?
No. At least not for that reason.
She is given some persecution for her physical characteristics, so she does sometimes worry about how she looks.

16. Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
No.

17. Do any of your female characters exist solely to embody feminist ideals?
No!

18. Would "a clumsy cooking wench more comfortable with a frying pan than a sword" aptly describe any of your female characters?
Um, no.

19. Would "a fearless warrioress more comfortable with a sword than a frying pan" aptly describe any of your female characters?
Not at all.

20. Is any character in your novel best described as "a dour dwarf"?
Number one, I don't have dwarves. Number two, I don't have a complete cast of characters yet, so a dour character could show up, maybe.

21. How about "a half-elf torn between his human and elven heritage"?
Okay, I don't have elves. BUT, I do have a human character who is torn between two different heritages.

22. Did you make the elves and the dwarves great friends, just to be different?
Well, I don't have elves or dwarves. Just humans.

23. Does everybody under four feet tall exist solely for comic relief?
No. Not even the MC's little sister.

24. Do you think that the only two uses for ships are fishing and piracy?
No, I don't. In my story I use ships for:
Trade
Travel
and
Naval Conquest and Devastation.

25. Do you not know when the hay baler was invented?
Not really. But, people harvest hay by hand in my world.

26. Did you draw a map for your novel which includes places named things like "The Blasted Lands" or "The Forest of Fear" or "The Desert of Desolation" or absolutely anything "of Doom"?
No.

27. Does your novel contain a prologue that is impossible to understand until you've read the entire book, if even then?
I don't have a prologue. I scrapped two, and I don't think I will include one in my book.

28. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy?
No. I don't see how my story will stretch that far.

29. How about a quintet or a decalogue?
Mm-mm.

30. Is your novel thicker than a New York City phone book?
No way.

31. Did absolutely nothing happen in the previous book you wrote, yet you figure you're still many sequels away from finishing your "story"?
Uh, no. Stuff has happened, and I have not finished the book.

32. Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?
*laughs* No.

33. Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?
Nope. That's not my name.

34. Is your novel based on the adventures of your role-playing group?
No. I barely know what that is.

35. Does your novel contain characters transported from the real world to a fantasy realm?
No, it doesn't.

36. Do any of your main characters have apostrophes or dashes in their names?
Nope!

37. Do any of your main characters have names longer than three syllables?
No, none. Yay!

38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?
I do see something wrong with that, actually. I am going to have to change a character's name to make it fit the cultural theme.

39. Does your novel contain orcs, elves, dwarves, or halflings?
No. Only humans and various animals.

40. How about "orken" or "dwerrows"?
Uh-uh.

41. Do you have a race prefixed by "half-"?
No.

42. At any point in your novel, do the main characters take a shortcut through ancient dwarven mines?
Hey, that gives me an idea! Just kidding.

43. Do you write your battle scenes by playing them out in your favorite RPG?
No, I don't play those. But, I will act them out in private to check realism.

44. Have you done up game statistics for all of your main characters in your favorite RPG?
I don't play those.

45. Are you writing a work-for-hire for Wizards of the Coast?
No way.

46. Do inns in your book exist solely so your main characters can have brawls?
No, inns exist to give travelers a place to sleep.

47. Do you think you know how feudalism worked but really don't?
Uh, I don't know much about feudalism, but I am not basing my government on it, so I'm safe.

48. Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place?
Yes, actually. It's one of the weak points in the plot, which need fixing.

49. Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot?
No.

50. Do any of the magic users in your novel cast spells easily identifiable as "fireball" or "lightning bolt"?
No magic, no spells.

51. Do you ever use the term "mana" in your novel?
No. Characters don't gather bread-like food off the ground in my story.

52. Do you ever use the term "plate mail" in your novel?
No. I think it's too heavy and clumsy.

53. Do you ever use the term "hit points" in your novel?
I don't know what those are, so, no.

54. Do you not realize how much gold actually weighs?
I'm pretty sure it weighs about as much as lead, and I am quite familiar with how heavy lead is.

55. Do you think horses can gallop all day long without rest?
No, I don't. I have some horse experience, not to mention I read Grandma Aspen's article.

56. Does anybody in your novel fight for two hours straight in full plate armor, then ride a horse for four hours, then go celebrate at the local inn all in the same day?
No way. They get tired.

57. Does your main character have a magic axe, hammer, spear, or other weapon that returns to him when he throws it?
No. No magic.

58. Does anybody in your novel ever stab anybody with a scimitar?
No scimitars. I do have swords, though.

59. Does anybody in your novel stab anybody straight through plate armor?
Uh-uh. I don't have people stab through armor at all.

60. Do you think swords weigh ten pounds or more?
I know they're pretty heavy. So, yes, I do.

61. Does your hero fall in love with an unattainable woman, whom he later attains?
No, he does not.

62. Does a large portion of the humor in your novel consist of puns?
No, it consists of sibling interaction.

63. Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?
No, he's not that tough.

64. Do you really think it frequently takes more than one arrow in the chest to kill a man?
Yes, I do. One of my characters dies quickly after being shot though the neck, and another character dies instantly from being shot by like ten arrows at once.

65. Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?
Yes, I do realize that, especially after reading the question.

66. Do you have nomadic barbarians living on the tundra and consuming barrels and barrels of mead?
No, no barbarians appear in the story.

67. Do you think that "mead" is just a fancy name for "beer"?
No, but I don't know exactly what mead is.

68. Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler, and one religion?
Um...I have two human races, and they do each live in one country, ect. Hm.

69. Is the best organized and most numerous group of people in your world the thieves' guild?
No, my MC's are law-abiding citizens. Wait. No, not really. But that's just because they're right and the government's wrong.

70. Does your main villain punish insignificant mistakes with death?
No, he punishes suspected treason with death.

71. Is your story about a crack team of warriors that take along a bard who is useless in a fight, though he plays a mean lute?
*smile* No. There are a few musicians who show up, but they are minor.

72. Is "common" the official language of your world?
No, there is no common language. Two languages show up, and there has to be a translator to communicate, but the folks from the other country who show up in my story are usually bilingual.

73. Is the countryside in your novel littered with tombs and gravesites filled with ancient magical loot that nobody thought to steal centuries before?
Mm-mm. No magic.

74. Is your book basically a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings?
Not at all. It is very different.

75. Read that question again and answer truthfully.
Okay.
Truthfully.

@Brendan: I know.

Since I have a lot of stories planned and several even begun, I'll identify which one I'm talking about by name in each question when I mention one.


No. My only draft to ever reach 50 pages (manuscript pages here, but still ...) (The Alliance) had the related but opposite problem of lots of action while I kept changing my mind as to what the main plot was supposed to be.


No. In every case in which parentage is even remotely significant, it is well-known. And I have no farmhands as characters. (So far.)


No. In one WIP (Sunshine Civil War), the main character will eventually come to the throne, but this will be by election and acclamation; the country's problems stem largely from having the throne pass by inheritance for several generations instead of the elections the Charter required.


Only one story really comes close (Stone of Power; there are a few others which fit only the "coming-of-age" part): Coming of age? Yes. Gains great power? Not really. "Defeats" the supreme badguy? Not really (and certainly not singlehandedly), but "thwarts" and "contains" him arguably yes.

No to each of these. Quest to fetch-from-safe-keeping and destroy an object that could enslave the world, though ... (Stone of Power)


No. The most I've used prophecy for is artificially limiting a character's use of his powers in a story (The Invasion, which I'm changing to use a different protagonist since even so he's too obviously invincible) and (in that long draft of The Alliance I mentioned above) introducing the random tangents the protagonist kept jetting off on.


No.


No. The closest I've come to that is in Stone of Power, where the "mentor" figure is the protagonist's father come back from the dead (as Vaynar always do if they haven't finished God's appointed task).


Shudder. And the "evil supreme badguy" up until the immediate backstory of Stone of Power is irredeemable (as a fallen angel-equivalent); in the interests of not writing myself into a corner I won't rule out redeeming his successor, but not like that.


No. There might be a king of some country somewhere at some point that meets that description, but I don't think so.


Not deliberately; some of my characters might seem forgetful when I forget what I was going to have them do or otherwise remember ...


No.


So far no, but that's a trap that I do have to be wary of.


No.


In that lengthy draft of The Alliance I mentioned above (which, in my defense, I abandoned nearly a decade ago now, but only just recently finished typing it so if there are any salvageable bits I won't lose them to smudged pages) there are a couple of characters who for the purposes of that story existed only to be rescued (having already been captured when they were introduced). But other than that, no.


Certainly not. At least not intentionally.


No.

Unfortunately, yes ... but that's because a sizeable fraction of my characters are warriors of one sort or another (by choice or necessity), while I have given no thought whatsoever to cooking in relation to any character. (However, tangentially, I heartily recommend all of you read Patricia Wrede's story about the Frying Pan of Doom and make and eat the attached recipe for After-Battle Triple Chocolate Cake.)


No ... but I haven't developed any dwarf characters beyond names yet, so I may have to be wary of this danger. (On the other hand, I'm not even sure what "dour" would look like; that's a word I've met only in fiction, and I've picked up any meaning for it only from context.)

No.

No. They're not irreconcilable enemies, but neither are they inseparable allies either. For the most part, they simply don't encounter each other enough for any particular feeling one way or the other to dominate.

No. For one thing, a line of dwarven crossbowmen leveling their bows at you isn't remotely funny.

No; in fact, those aren't even the first uses that come to mind. Overseas trade, a navy to protect that trade, troop transport, bombardment of coastal defenses, smuggling ...

Yes, I don't know (precisely) when the hay baler was invented ... I'd guess sometime 18th century. If I ever set something in our world's history or an alternate history where my characters go by a hay field, I'll look it up.


No. "Sunshine Kingdom", "Moonshine Kingdom", "Starshine Kingdom", "Twilight Kingdom", and so on, but not anything like that on a map. I do have a place called "the Waste" (which will figure prominently in An Internal Conflict), but it's a single-country-universe (I think) and doesn't have a map yet anyway. And there's a few nearly as bad and star cluster names (but there we're veering into the SF elements ...)

I labor mightily to avoid this. An Internal Conflict can't avoid having a prologue, but that's to get in the essential backstory before she wakes up to live her life over again; I have prologues to other works because otherwise my Chapter One would be a completely different style from the rest of the story.

Sigh. I have two decalogue sub-series that I'm tentatively planning; other than that (and even within those) I hope to make stories that stand alone well but fit into the larger series. Which is of indeterminate length, particularly since I have yet to see whether I can condense any one story to a standard length.
Technically no, since I haven't written any presentable draft more than twenty pages or so yet. But the series certainly will become so, God willing.

I'm aiming to avoid "sequels" per se (i.e. books that exist solely to continue arcs begun in previous books). And I aim to avoid the "nothing happens for the entire story" syndrome (though that's really not entirely Jordan's fault). But the project on which I have embarked is indeed of the scope that this question is aiming to stigmatize, I fear.

Depends on when the "present day" is. I've got WIPs all over the Outline of History.

No. (Fortunately, as he's no longer with us.)

No. I'll freely admit to stealing the occasional idea (a particular character marrying the Mer-King's daughter, for example), but the overarching story has been growing in my head since fourth grade, well before I discovered RPGs.

Yes. In fact, the most significant event in my main world's history is the arrival of a couple of hundred people from our world.

I used to have one (with a name I borrowed from another author anyway, so I've probably changed it already); if I've changed her name, no, if not, temporarily yes.

Alas, yes. I'm quite attached to "Persephone."

No.

Orcs, no. Elves and dwarves, yes (though I do my best to turn those tropes somewhat on their head). Halflings, I don't think so.

Shudder.

No. The Vaynar and Fairies are occasionally referred to as "half-Fairies" and "half-Vaynar" respectively, referring to the kinship they mutually acknowledge whether it actually exists or not, but that's like calling each other "cousin", not the names of the races.

No. But by the end of the Outline of History the world is only a little over two centuries old; there hasn't been time for "ancient dwarven mines" to exist.

No. I may design some of the military sequences by running them in the strategy game I'm designing (see my signature), but not battle at the personal level.

No. I was once planning to do a story by creating RPG characterizations for all the main characters and running it as an RPG campaign, but didn't get any takers and soon thought better of the idea.

Shudder.

No. Not that most of my characters would frequent inns or taverns anyway ...

Probably.

Depends on the story. And your definition of "inordinate". But I don't think so.

I certainly hope not!

No. (Except maybe in that old lengthy Alliance draft ...) For one thing, the "applied metaphysics" way of doing something is rarely better all things considered than "the hard way", so if you want lightning or a fireball you invest in a very large capacitor or a bomb.

Shudder.

No. "Plate" meaning "plate armor", yes, but I do know the difference between "plate" and "mail".

No. (Shudder.) Though I'm somewhat ashamed to say that one of the segments of that old lengthy Alliance draft (when it drifted into a bad imitation of a Zelda novelization) talks about "hearts" of "health".

Probably.

No. I have read Poul Anderson's classic essay "On Thud and Blunder", which addresses those very issues and more.

No. I may have (in sufficiently old drafts that I'm dubious about even scavenging from) weapons that come when called, or some weapons that effectively return but have a technological explanation for it, but no magic weapons of that sort.

No. (Neither does anyone ever use a scimitar. But I understand why they do not make good stabbing weapons.)

No. (Except perhaps with arrows at several hundred yards' distance. )

I know that most swords don't; one weighing that much might occasionally turn up. (And I have had an idea, which probably won't make it into a story but will turn up in my strategy game, for an unrealistically heavy sword that one doesn't have to lug around because its weight is stored in an extradimensional space or something.)

In that old, lengthy Alliance draft, arguably yes. (I skipped showing the "fall in love" stage. Adolescent wish-fulfillment-fantasy writing, I'm ashamed to say.)

No. Not that I have much humor so far.

Depends on the woman and the heaviest armor had a large number of chinks in it that would be highly vulnerable to a dagger while stymieing a mace. But no, the usual front-line modus operandi for my protagonists is to not get hit in the first place.

No. (Or at least to put the man out of the fight; with good medical care, a chest wound might still be survivable.)

No ... but I haven't put much thought into food in general, either.

Barbarians? Yes. Living on the tundra? Not sure; I have a large area of my map labeled as "barbarian country", but have given precisely zero thought to its terrain or climate. Consuming barrels and barrels of mead? No. Again, I've given very little thought to their culture.

No. I know they're different kinds of alcohol (beer is fermented hops, while mead is fermented honey, I think) but alcohol is rare in the Empire. (And for a mage, which most of my interesting characters happen to be, if not of very significant power, any sort of intoxication is stupidity at best.)

No. "One religion" perhaps---they've suffered less from that world's Fall, and have a host of salutary examples from our world's history, so obedience to the Gospel across racial lines is not unlikely. (Though universal belief isn't.) Political organization tends to be along the lines of local communities that give their allegiance to the national government, which is not limited to their race.

Good heavens no.

Nothing so lenient.

No. Though a bard, even if useless as a combatant, could be extremely useful in a fight.

Tentatively yes (well, "main", but not "official"), perhaps until I come up with a better name. But it is certainly not the sole language.

No. Even ignoring the fact that the world isn't "centuries" old yet, no.

Stone of Power began as far too close an imitation; the rest are clearly not. And I began this project before I'd even read Tolkien. (It started as, arguably, Narnia fan fiction, but has since become entirely new.

Narnia Fanfic is very popular.

I love this exam.


This is more likely to happen when some one is writing linearly, and I tend to write more like a squadron of bombers and strafers.


Many of my main characters do not have parentage.


Not that I know of...


It would be rather late to gain great power when you come of age.


As a sub-plot of one of the peripheral stories. They succeed, save the world, and then something worse happens.


They already found that one.


Yes, but it does not pick an unsuspecting, arrogant shrimp.


I hope I will never write a novel that "contains characters."


There are no "gods," the Elves are particularly perilous in disguise, and a faery would be impossible to disguise.


That would be a neat idea.


"King of my world"? I have more than one unkindly kings who are evil magicians.


Now that would be dangerous. Fortunately, a wizard of any kind does not describe any of my characters.


He would not last very long.


Wouldn't that be aggravating.


maybe you should ask them.


Some of them exist solely to be captured and not rescued.


If they did they would be immediately disembodied.


"...a ___ more comfortable with a ___ than a ___..." Suggests an essence of attitude hopefully absent in anything in my stories.


No.


Maybe. It depends on what you mean by "a dour dwarf."


That would be a horrific fate.


I continuously do many things to be different, for example, Elves are a particularly deathly order of Demons, and dwarves are a race or a creed, never a nation, or even a people.


Nobody of any size exists solely for anything.


I thought they were only used for shipwrecks.


*chuckles* I can see why you would ask that.


*shifts feet* Ah, don't have a map yet, sorry. The places have names like Aiseria, Robonaz, Hgrhglahlin Plain, The Pitch Bog.


I will try not to.


I do not know. Probably five books if you want to pick a particular number.


Maybe a quintet, but there will be multiple separate works.


Try measuring a disassembled train. I hope to write a book at least as large as Les Miserables.


I do not have the time.


No, thank Heaven!


It depends on how a dog lies. I have no interest in knowing who this singularly deceitful character called Robert Jordan is.


It is based on the actions of real people in an Otherworld.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. My Otherworld is an Independent World so far though.


I see nothing wrong with dashes, but I have wondered sometimes what the apostrophes meant.


Ametendiin is the only one I am thinking of at the moment. Galadriel is four syllables (Maher-shalel-hashbaz has six syllables, two dashes, and I learned last night that it is the longest word in the Bible).


Something is wrong when some one named "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok" comes from any where.


My stories have creatures similar to those, but dwarves are the only ones that have the same name.


I will probably have Dwarrows, as Tolkien once mentioned.


I have a race called the Mingles. They often wear leather.


It never occurred to me. If it ever did happen it would not be anything like the sequence in The Lord of the Rings, since my dwarves are different than his.


My battle scenes would be impossible to act out. They are hardly describable.


No. I once wrote a list of questions for describing characters and asked Jay, my father, my grandfather, my mother, my grandmother, and I think my sister, for descriptions of characters that I could incorporate into my stories, so that I could say later that this or that character was from this or that person. Jay made Bedouin Kaian, who later (with my permission) became a very prominent character in Jay's stories. My mother made Cinnamon Fern, my Grandmother made Miss Pepper Violet, and my Grandfather made Boro(?) the Camililiad (interestingly, I remember the last name far better).
I do not have an RPG.


I don't think so...


Ghostly attacks and the display of fauns heads.


How would some one answer that? Actually I know that I do not know.


One way they reach another world is by reincarnation, and gradually regaining their memory as they mature, if all goes as it should.


It would be interesting if one of the characters was the author of a living story, and he has a plot he is trying to...


Or locusts and hurricanes. Some of my "magic users" are balls of fire or bolts of lightning.


Manna.


Wikipedia says it is called "plated mail."


No.


Second only to lead in weight as a pure element. *checks* Actually lead is almost 8000 kg less per square meter than gold. Gold is the fifth heaviest nonsynthetic element. I have picked up some lead before, and, judging by that, I probably would not be able to pick up a lump of gold the size of my foot.


Bree didn't.


He wouldn't celebrate at the local inn, and if he had ridden for four hours that day, how did he end up at the local inn?


There are arrows that transform into birds, I had that idea long before I saw The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.


Did you not know that you can stab with some scimitars? A scimitar was thrown as a spear in Louis L'Amour's Walking Drum.


Not yet.


My sister says swords vary in weight extremely.


I am not in the habit of dramatic self-contradiction.


Puns don't translate well.


It depends on if she has already stabbed him.


I don't really think. I don't know.


"Good stew"?


What use would that be?


Was it not fermented honey?


No.


No.


If whoever it was was proved useless they would be killed whether or not they made a mistake.


There are no crack teams or mean lutes.


My world does not have an official language. The common tongue of the Elders was reconstructed at every use according to a changing template which only the Elders had mental access to, making it unusable to later generations, and giving rise to the simultaneous appearance of at least sixteen different languages when the second generation was sired.


My countrysides are not littered. Magic loot is not easily kept, even if it is easily gotten.


It would more likely be a ripoff of the Silmarillion.


Okay.
(Truthfully, does that last one count as a question?)


That was a fun exam.

Are you serious?!?! I was gonna have a-
*goes and scratches off her list of things to use *

Now I must come up with a different bog name.....

The Pitch Bog?

Yeah, I think I got the idea off of something.... I read a book that had a similar name, and I liked it. So it is stored in my "might use if I need" names. But I've never used it yet. However, since Patrick has the name, I'll come up with soemthing else, since, as I said, I'm not using it right now.

Okay.

It is a neat idea. Incredibly cool. It's just that some people used it already. In a certain *cough* very famous and popular story.
*sigh*

I have one hero who is secretly the father of (one of) the supreme badguy(s).


Use it. It is a good idea. Mine is so strange that I doubt yours will be similar. I only used that name because... it is a pitch bog.

Also, how did you pronounce Hgrhglahlin Plain?

I was trying to represent this:


"Hgrhglahlin plain" means "Barking Plain."

Wow, that looks like a hard word to pronounce. K, I shall take a swing at it.

I would say it Ha-grah-glah-lin plain. I think....

1-27. No
28. ...Yes...
29. maybe?
30. Not yet... I'm working on that one... maybe once I add the encyclopedia...
31. No, I just love my world and want to tell you everything about it
32. No... Do the histories I wrote count?
33. No
34. Alas, I have no role playing group *sigh*
35. Yes. Consult "On Fairy Stories" for part of the reasons.
36. Not yet... that would be cool though.
37. No
38. It depends on if they are of the some race or not.
39. No
40. A what?
41. Only by people who won't learn the real names. And it's always followed by half-something else
42. No, I'm working on a subterranean river/root cellar though...
43. No RPGs... *sigh*
44. See previous...
45. A what? Like books within the world? Well, naturally, but honestly I didn't understand what you said...
46. I don't have any inns just yet. No, my characters are civilized. They use inside voices and everything.
47. ...um, maybe? We're a pre-feudalism age mostly...
48. When the dragons are on coffee break, but then, dragons don't drink coffee.
49. No, granted they all have their secrets and problems.
50. No magic.
51. Only in reference to pre-national Israel.
52. No, we use bowl mail! Not much mail actually...
53. No, but some of my people play video games.
54. No, but I haven't used it much yet.
55. No
56. No
57. Magic Boomerang? No, it's an ordinary boomerang... Man I need to use boomerangs...
58. No
59. No
60. Not if they're made of alicorn. My sword however, is no light weight puppy...
61. No
62. I'm sure it will have a role. My heritage cannot be helped.
63. Not really. No sledge and she uses her sword for more important things.
64. No, but I still use man-catchers for good measure.
65. Hard tack forever! We don't eat much on the road and that's why beef jerky was invented.
66. I don't even use tundra yet...
67. No, it has a different base food.
68. No, most of them don't even have countries. We're not feudal you know.
69. No
70. No
71. No but I thought about my team forming a band... I think Guilo should play the bass...
72. No, but ask me about language barriers.
73. No, there's really not much loot.
74. Nevarr! *coughWillowcoughcoughGeorgeLucascoughcoughcough*
75. See above answer... It shares more elements with Chronicles of Narnia actually...

I know all of you read these, but now you see how my thought process and planning goes.