Okay guys, this is an old outline I created that I just pulled off the shelves and blew the dust off of. Rip it to shreds; I'm sure it needs it. Let me know if anyone thinks it would be a good blog post, and if so, what corrections would you recommend?

Fantasy writing can be a bit overwhelming at times. It doesn’t have to be, but often times is. We look at authors like Lewis and Tolkien and try to make a story that will live up to their works. Forget Lewis and Tolkien (absolutely no disrespect intended). You will never live up to your full potential if you try to live in the shadow of someone else, no matter how great. Be your own individual. Here are a few steps to help you journey along this path. Read carefully and take these pointers to heart.

Absolute Necessities
When starting to write a story you are going to need three very important things.

• A great imagination!
• A notebook/computer.
• Good friends willing to read and critique your work.

The Assessment.
Now is the inevitable question, what are you going to write? Trying to decide that can sometimes be an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be. Figure out what interests you. Nobody should write about something they don’t love themselves. Raid your bookshelves! Read what you have and decide what you like about them. Who is your favorite author? Finding the answer to this question will help you determine what your favorite writing style is.

Brainstorm!
Lots of it. This is a key aspect to writing. It is during this process that you are going to conjure up lots of story details that will determine the course of your book. Develop a group of characters who are going to fit into this fantastical world of yours. Let the characters develop themselves. Create plots for them to fall into and then figure out ways for them to get back out. Let loose! Relax. Don’t stress. In this part you’ve got nothing to lose and all to gain. Make your characters complicated, give them personality and depth.

It could possibly be said that the development of your characters is the most difficult aspect of your journey to a satisfying read. Let’s face it, how many of us like shallow, two dimensional characters? Your characters could make or break your book. To help you in this tricky development process you should do a few writing exercises.

• Describe your character like you would a best friend. You need to know them and have your own personal connection to them. You two are going to be spending a lot of time together.

• Figure out what makes this character tick. What is the driving force behind his or her motives? Is it greed, a desire for revenge, or the desire to find their family? Get inside their head and put yourself in their position.

• How does your character differ from the other characters you will through in his path? How will he relate to them?
All of these things are going to help you find the essence of your character.

Also, during this step you’re going to be deciding what form of fantasy to write based on what you come up with. Will your characters be transported into a world where fantastical creatures dwell (as in The Chronicles of Narnia) Or will they start off in a world entirely different from our own and go on noble quests to slay dragons and defeat evil (as in Lord of the Rings)? Have fun in this stage, sky isn’t the limit.

Element Diversity
Create diversity. Add unusual elements to your work, such as talking animals, dragons or even dinosaurs. You can make up your own magical species. Try to avoid clichés as much as possible - twist and subvert them. Tolkien has Elves in his story, that doesn’t mean you can’t, however, avoid using very Tolkien specific traits (I.e. elves from across the sea). Make your world unusual and interesting. You need to make it fresh enough that people want to explore it instead of making it feel like someplace they have already been.

Leaving Reality Behind
Okay, I cannot express this enough. Good writers don’t just create worlds for their readers, they create world around their readers. Something that you will need to keep at the forefront of your mind as you are writing is that your work should encompass your audience.

During my journey in becoming a, I hope, good writer, I began to study the writers of old whose stories have captivated generations. Lewis and Tolkien are the most well know in this class. I think Tolkien is a brilliant author, but not because he created The Lord of the Ring. I think Tolkien’s brilliance came from the fact that he understood his audience. He knew how to create his desired effect on his audience. So instead of studying Tolkien’s works, I studied Tolkien himself. While undergoing this journey I found an amazing quote that has never left my mind. Tolkien said...



What Tolkien is saying is that the goal of the writer is to build this secondary world around their reader so that they are completely submersed into the land you have placed them in. However, once something occurs to break that spell (inconsistency, for example) you have now lost your audience and they will not reenter your world, but stand on the outside as an onlooker rather than a partaker.

The reader needs to have the battle going on around them; make them feel their heart pounding as they are pursued by evil enemies. Let them feel the warmth of the morning sun on their face as the dawn breaks after a horror filled night. Don’t let your readers stand on the outside of your work as an onlooker; drag them deep into your world as a fellow combatant.

Think of it like Adventures in Odyssey’s Imagination Station, a room designed to bring the Bible to life and make the reader feel like they are actually living the bible.


Become a Scribbler!
Write. Don't just write the story; write histories of your characters, shorts, or anything else you can think of that will help flesh out your characters and your world. If you have the plot and an outline in mind then write out the rough draft first. Don’t be tempted to edit. Let your creativity run rampant, completely unhindered by the demands of grammar and spelling. I have found in my own writing that I often times squash the flow of my creative juices by being overly concerned with the editing process. This is the fun part; don’t bog your process down with tedious punctuation and capitalization. If it’s your first writing project then start small, don’t overwhelm yourself.

Editor in Chief
Once you’ve completed all these things it’s time for the tedious stuff. Proof reading! Edit mistakes, improve whatever can be improved and make sure everything is consistent. If you have one inconsistency you will shatter the world of make-believe you have worked so hard to create around your reader. Ensure you haven’t lost any of your characters along this long and rigorous process. Make sure that they each are identifiable, well-described and interesting. And don’t forget to give sub characters some flesh. It will help to enhance the reading experience.

You’re Not Infallible
Now comes the scary part, letting others read your work. Words of advice; accept any and all criticisms! This is what will make you a better writer in the future. Give your book to people who enjoy fantasy in the first place. If they have advice then take it. Don’t let someone rewrite your book or character, but be open to the fact that you are fallible.

Passing the Baton
And finally, publication. If your work is rejected by one editor, edit the story or send it to a different publisher. This part of the game is all about waiting and letting someone else carry on your work. Keep in mind most people don’t get published the first time their work is sent out. Some of the best authors ever published were rejected at least once.

Tolkien was told his work was a children’s story that had gotten horribly out of hand, so be prepared to receive criticism. Just remember, if you believe you have a good story then don’t back down. Tolkien’s horribly out of hand book went on to be one of the most widely read fantasies that brought in astronomical profits, especially when it was adapted into the wildly popular movies by Peter Jackson.


Tips to Remember...
• Be creative with your settings! Underground dungeons and medieval castles aren't the only places you can have action and adventure. Try to invent new ways to do things, new sights to see.

• Make sure you keep away from clichés. The sky is not the limit guys; you have all of space too. Just because Tolkien or Lewis did it doesn’t mean you should. Be your own creative individual. Add twists, turns, sub-versions, deconstructions, and your own unique spin on things.

• Avoid info dumping! Big no no. If you make your character complicated (which you should), don't begin the book with seven pages of introduction. Spread the information out; this heightens suspense and adds interest to your book. You need all the back-story and detail, but let it come out gradually and over time.

• Don't fall in love with your characters so much that you can’t let them live their destinies. If nothing bad ever happens to them then it will be harder for the reader to relate to or sympathize with them. Also, don’t be afraid to kill someone off. Death is the reality of living. If the destiny of a particular character is sacrificial death than you need to let them live up to their full potential. However, never, under any circumstances kill off a character because you don’t know what to do with them. Senseless death isn’t appealing in a story and will only frustrate your audience if they don’t know why you killed someone.

• Be careful not to overuse the apostrophe. Lots of people don’t know how to pronounce it in the first place. Rather than N' Kra'Nek'Ula, do Nekronickula.

• Don't overuse magic. Even if it is common in your world a story will lose serious interest if magic is never a source of challenge. Magic shouldn’t be used to get out of a tight spot. You need to keep your story relatable and awe inspiring. If magic is thrown around every few paragraphs it is no longer a source of wonderment by about the fourth chapter.

• Do not fall victim to the fallacy that big words and fancy writing will make your novel better. The reader does not need to hear how Elena cogitated on the ephemeral nature of her formative years when all the reader wants to know is that Elena is thinking about the shortness of her childhood. Use your natural language, it will flow better. However if you can use the words fallacy, misleading notion, or erroneous belief in place of myth to make your subject more interesting, then go for it!

• Don't take criticism as a bad thing. I know I’ve already harped on that one but it is worth saying again. This is one of the biggest pitfalls that writers run into.

• Don't get stressed!

Keep in mind that there is no exact formula for writing a good, complex story. If you are reading this article you are probably interested in creative writing as an artistic outlet. This article is merely to give you basic guideline to follow in an attempt to help make the process seem less daunting. I’ve tried to give you a good overview without bogging you down with limitations. This is an exercise in creativity, express yourself as a writer. Your stories should be as individual as you are.

We all recognize Tolkien’s work, but we recognize it as a Tolkien piece because it’s an expression of Tolkien himself. Lewis’s works all seems like Lewis’s work because they reflect his own individual creativity. We enjoy the diversity in the writers because they are not all written using the same formula. They are all great, but if every book was written in Tolkien or Lewis’ style then it would be mundane and boring. Let your own personality flow through your pen. This is art, there are no exact how-to’s, art is always an expression of you. It’s an expression of who you truly are and everyone must find their own way.

Most importantly of all, never give up, always have fun, and don't ever put together a quick book that wasn't your best effort and expect it to be published. Just doesn’t happen. Put your heart and soul into your piece. That’s what will make it a true classic.

Wow...that's exactly the sort of stuff I would look for at the blog.

eruheran

Thanks Eruheran, Did you see any spelling errors or grammatical issues that should be resolved?

Thanks Evening, I’ll have to look into all of those things later, right now I’ve got other things on my plate. Look for a post later this afternoon or tonight. By the way, once I get all of this publishing stuff sorted and figured out I’m planning on doing a follow up, Tips and Tricks of the Publishing Nightmare! Okay, maybe not that name exactly, but we shall see when I have enough personal experience to write it. I’m just swimming in information! I wish I had someone else I knew who had been down the path and could help me sort out all the junk (there is a lot of it). Oh well, at least my process will hopefully help someone else.

And then perhaps your thread will get a star! (I like the title, by the way.)

Looks like you forgot the "y" in "every".
And I think anything else has already been mentioned.

Looks great!

Okay, see the changes I made to that one and let me know your thoughts.


No problem , although now my own phrase is being used against me! I certainly don’t want a redundant redundancy.



I would agree that “next” and “first” sound funny. Especially since I have next before first. Yikes! That is horribly bad grammar and sentence structuring. Please review the changes made and tell me what you think.


Fixed “your” in the third sentence. I still like the thought process of letting the character’s develop themselves, however I do see your point as well. So I’ve made a compromise. I kept the original sentence, however I have added another paragraph to hopefully help give more specifics. I have a hard time telling readers (or writers) exactly how to do something. I think it is a process they have to learn for themselves, I merely give guidelines to help structure their journey. Let me know what you think of the new paragraph. Is it still too vague for you?



Changed, changed, and changed.

I don’t like the way the sentence flows with a “the” in front of sky. So I combined it with the sentence proceeding it. Do you think this is okay structure wise?


Alright, few changes made here, please review.



Hum… I wonder how that one happened? There are a few other places which leads me to believe I was very tired at some point while writing this. Oh well, the spacing errors will be taken care of.


Added or, check! Changed I, check! Yuck, I can’t believe I had that many spacing errors! Now I’m convinced I must have been writing that part late at night (which is when I normally do my writing) when I apparently should have been sleeping.


Your is taken care of, sentences are merged, and I’ve taken out the extra space. However, I would pose that although you are creating your world for your reader, you are also trying to create your world around them. Let me explain…

You see, I think J.R.R Tolkien was a brilliant author. However I don’t just think of him as a brilliant author because he created the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or even for any of his other works. I think Tolkien is a brilliant author because he understood his audience well and knew how to create his desired effect. He understood what it meant to be a truly good author. So, in my journey of becoming a good (I hope) author, I studied Tolkien himself and not so much his books. While undergoing this study I found an amazing quote which has never left me. Tolkien said



What Tolkien is saying is that the goal of the writer is to build this secondary world around their reader so that they are completely submersed into the land you have placed them in. Once something occurs to break that spell (inconsistency, for example) you have now lost your audience and they will not reenter your world, but stand on the outside as an onlooker rather than a partaker.



So while I understand your point, and am open for discussion on this topic, I’m not sure I am ready to just change “around” to “for”. This has been a very central part of my journey in becoming a writer. While I am open to changing this if someone gives me a convincing reason why is should be changed, I’m not willing to change it until then. I’m not trying to be bull headed; I just feel very strongly on this point and would rather discuss it before considering a change.



Punctuations have been changed. I added then instead of putting another semi-colon.


Um, I thought I did that when I put in the sentence, ‘Give your book to people who enjoy fantasy in the first place.’ Was that point not fully clear?


Okay, I changed way to its plural form, but I’m sorry, I don’t see where I used “where” in that bullet point.


Okay, I didn’t understand why you put ‘Try not, do.’ Maybe you could expound on that one for me.

I still don’t like how “The sky” sounds, could you maybe tell me why you don’t like the lack of “the” in that sentence?

No comma after limit, it is not applicable.

Okay, the definition of deconstruction is… a philosophical theory of criticism (usually of literature or film) that seeks to expose deep-seated contradictions in a work by delving below its surface meaning. Deconstruction is an approach, introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, which rigorously pursues the meaning of a text to the point of undoing the oppositions on which it is apparently founded, and to the point of showing that those foundations are irreducibly complex. The process by which the audience identifies the elements that makes up the construction of meaning within a text.
deconstruct - interpret (a text or an artwork) by the method of deconstructing.
deconstruct - to break something down into its component parts.

I’m not sure why I put a colon there. It should be a semi-colon.


Very good point.


They are supposed to change the way you read a name. I’ve never done an in-depth study on what exactly it changes, so I can’t fully answer your question, but I do know some people (thank goodness not in this Forum) use the apostrophe to death! It’s really just a pet peeve of mine.


Done.


Made some minor changes, hope that helped.



Boy, I'll have to start being really careful what I share with you all.


I object to giving specific nitty-gritty details of how exactly to go about the process of writing. I think that is the responsibility of the writer. I believe that the journey of carrying out these concepts I have described is an individual’s job to figure out. They have to find their own path; I’m just there to give them the guidelines. If I tell them how I would go about the journey they really aren’t undergoing their own self discovery, they are just following my own personal journey.

As always, I’m open for discussion, but I don’t just take people’s advice if I don’t agree or see their point. I don’t believe I’m perfect, and my ideas have changed more than once due to someone else’s persuasive arguments, but you’ll have to persuade me first Evening. I appreciate all the help and hope I haven’t offended. The more you guys get to know me the more you’ll see that I am firm in my convictions, but I hope I never believe I am above changing. I say it all the time, we are not infallible. We’ve all got room for change.

Hope to hear back from you and any others who would like to add a word in the discussions.


Good eye Arias, Thanks.

I agree on the comma thing...and I am quite OCD about my commas.

Hope I didn’t sound too pushy.


Okay Evening, I looked up comma uses and could not find mention of this rule anywhere. Maybe we should have a second opinion since it seems we’re stymied. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just not sure that you’re right. I’ll discuss it with my mom this evening and get back to you.


Sorry Evening, I’m a big Yoda fan and very fond of his inverted sentences, but you lost me on that one. Maybe if it had been a longer sentence it would have worked. I’ll rework that sentence. I don’t like try, but I’ll try and strengthen the sentence without using it as a replacement.


Now that sentence doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m still not sure I like the sky. Something just seems wrong to me. Maybe it’s just me. Again, I’ll ask my mom and see what she says. Sound fair?


When all else fails, go to Mom! I’m still not sure I agree. I believe I did give the push in the right direction, however, if one person disagrees it is worth looking into again. My mom will be able to look at the situation impartially and give me her honest opinion. I’ll read your points to her, and then read my post to her. I’ll get back with you this evening and let you know what she says.

As always, thank you so much for your insightful pointers.

Okay guys, I spoke to my parents about this and they both agreed that it was an incorrect usage of a comma to put it before guys. Try saying the sentence out load. There should not be a pause in between limit and guys; you fracture the sentence by having it there. We also looked up the comma usage rules in the Style Guide and found no rule that said a comma is used before a person’s name when talking to them. Now, were the sentence to be ‘Sally, please pass the cake.’ The comma would be appropriate after the person’s name.

Both of my parents have experience on this subject, so I trust their judgment. Sorry guys, but I will have to disagree on the comma usage.


Okay, my parents also said there is no “the” necessary. It is personal preference, not a structure issue.



Okay, I spoke with my parents who agree with my point. This is a journey of self discovery. I’m not teaching a class to a 2nd grader, I am giving some basic guidelines to help creative writers along on their journey. I don’t believe in 5 steps to a best seller.

However, my parents did say they thought I should add a paragraph at the end to remind everyone that there is no set mould for writing. They need to be themselves and follow their own path. I would like you to review the added paragraph after I’ve constructed it and see if you understand my point better afterwards. I feel like I have given lots of how to points and that if I gave anymore I would be violating what I believe to be someone else’s journey.

Also, my mother believes I should include a paragraph that talks about building your world “around” the reader. I hope everyone will review these changes when they are complete and see that they are a good addition.
As always, thank you for all your input.

I don’t feel like you were being pushy Evening. This is how we grow! We need to bat back ideas. I just feel very strongly that I have to agree with a point in order to change it. You made me have to think about why I put something in the way I did. I’m glad you were willing to critique my work and discuss your views on it. Besides, you have now spurred two more paragraphs that will be added and, I think anyway, they will be a very good addition. Please don’t feel like I am upset with your critiques. I am happy to know that you care enough about my work and how it will represent the blog. Our conversations have been stimulating, and I love to be challenged. That’s what helps us solidify our beliefs.

I’m looking forward to finishing my two paragraphs and adding them this evening.

Until then,

No problem. I'm not near as good as Evening as finding errors... it's usually typos I notice. haha



I'm pretty sure Evening is correct on this. I'm not sure why "the" would be needed, only that it seems to sound better =P It may be possible that "Sky" could be confused with the name "Sky", since it is capitalized (even though that's because it's the beginning of the sentence), and has no "the" preceding it.
I think the comma should be used after limit, because you're addressing someone. Commas are to be used to prevent confusion. Without the comma to show that you are talking to someone, the sentence could accidentally be understood that "Sky" is not "the limits guys" (unlikely, but possible). It doesn't seem like you are talking to someone, but instead just doesn't make sense.

It can technically go either way, just like I can technically be correct in writing 'George pushed.' without saying what he pushed. Writing is VERY subjective sometimes, and commas are no exception. There are times when it's wrong to use a comma, but in this case, ambiguity abounds. Either way works fine.

Okay guys, I am willing to put “the” before “sky”, only because it is personal preference and even though I personally think it does not sound as powerful, it isn’t worth arguing over. However, I am not willing to put a comma before guys. My Father is a General Manager for a large company. It is his job to insure anything leaving his desk has absolutely no misspellings, grammatical, or structural errors. He not only has a vast knowledge on this subject in general, but he also has several highly recommendable resources to draw from if he does not personally know the usage for certain punctuation. My mom has also had lots of experience in editing and is very good when it comes to proper thought expression. Both of my parents did not agree with the comma usage, and my father even went to his resources to insure he was correct, since there were a couple of people who disagreed with me.

Also, the rule to which you are referring is not one my father could find in any of his books. Now, if Sally’s name had been at the front of the sentence (referring to Evening’s sentence) then it would be correct to put a comma after her name. Think about it. Sally (pause), please pass the pie. That’s an appropriate pause. Now turn the sentence around the way you guys are describing and there is an inappropriate pause. Please pass the pie (pause), Sally. Commas should never under any circumstance fracture a thought or sentence. The sky is not the limit (pause), guys; you have all of space too. This thought is now fractured. I’m sorry, but I’m not convinced that the comma is appropriate. I’m not willing to change the comma unless I am told by a higher power that it should be changed.

As always, thanks for your advice, and please feel free to continue your critique.

Okay guys, I've added one of my additional points at the bottom of the article. Please review and tell me what you think. There is still another addition that needs to be added, but you can't rush writing. I'll hopefully have it done tomorrow.

I maintain that the comma is a personal preference. Personally, I WOULD put a pause there when saying such a sentence out loud. Not everyone would. It's fine as is.

Okay guys, I partially misrepresented my Father’s position. He doesn’t think a comma usage is inappropriate in the above Sally sentence because it ends with a period after Sally’s name. He believes that a comma is not mandatory, but could be appropriate. However, he does not believe it is a correct comparison with my sentence. The sentence ended after Sally’s name, my sentence continues on with its thought. Sorry for the slight mix up, that was a lot of information to sort out.

Okay, that makes sense.

Ah, I see what you're saying. Although I would add the comma when writing, I see how it wouldn't fit when spoken out loud.

As I said, I had to go to my Dad and Mom about this one. It didn’t make sense to me to put a comma, but I could also see some of the points made by others. My Dad’s the one who put my confusion into words. Yeah Daddy! I know I can always go to them (my parents) for objective, impartial support and criticism. My parents are my most severe critiques, but that’s what helps me grow and hone what skills the Lord has given me. Thanks to all for your editions and suggestions thus far. I feel blessed to add you all to my critics list. You all have had very good critiques.

Okay guys, I’ve added some more to round out my article. Let me know what you think and if you can find anything (other than the previously discussed comma) that should be changed.
Thanks,

Here are a couple things I noticed:



Shouldn't Bible be capitalized?



It should be "then it would be mundane and boring."

That's all I noticed! Great job on this!

Thanks for your input PotK, I changed those two errors.

Is this ready to be posted? It's been sitting here for a while.

I think we should take one more look at it and make sure it is without spelling and grammatical error. Then if you guys think it is ready I'm okay with it going out.

I say just go ahead and post it. It looks clean to go. To me anyway.

Okay Jay, I'll post it later this morning.

Oh my! I just realized I never put this on the blog. I am very sorry and will do so directly.

No problem! Thanks for remembering. Haha.

No problem. Should this thread now be archived?

Yup, thanks!