Writing fantasy generally
requires the invention of a world different from the one in which we live our daily lives; especially epic fantasy. I’m currently writing volume three of
such a trilogy. So, how did I go about developing the world where my story
takes place?
The first consideration in
fiction has to be ‘theme’. As always in such tales, the basic underlying theme is
good versus evil. But there are other ideas layered over that. I’m fascinated
by the continuing discussion whether religions rely on what seems like
self-delusion to persuade the faithful to join and remain in their ranks.
Another aspect of life that intrigues me is the duplicity of our attitude to
nakedness. And the way that power is given, often voluntarily, to those who
least deserve it has always baffled me. So, these themes are also explored in
the books.
Primarily, of course, it’s
a story, an adventure story with romantic elements, and a means to entertain my
readers. I’m thoroughly enjoying weaving the tale. We all love stories; have
done since the very beginnings of language.
Before I could ‘invent’ my
world, I had to develop systems of history, politics, religions, customs and
traditions. I considered how my characters, in their separate societies, would
dress, where and how they would live, what would occupy them and how they would
make their various ways through the world. I developed ideas on the evolution
of villages, towns and cities. I invented names for these places and the
characters who would inhabit them. Names that had to follow some sort of logic
in formation, of course. I researched travel by sea, river, horse, camel and on
foot. And then I studied some geology and geography so that I could devise a
realistic map for my world.
Maps and fantasy are
almost inseparable. I wanted mine to do more than locate the places featured in
the story; I wanted the map to be a central part of that story and an item of
interest in itself. I drew it on a large (A1 – 34x23 inches for those who don’t
know) piece of sugar paper in ink, with a drawing pen. I gave it some relief,
so that there are mountains, plains, deserts, forests, rivers, seas, islands and
lakes. I wanted to make this a real place in the mind of the reader, so it had
to be as real as possible to me first. And, I confess, I borrowed from our own
beautiful Earth to arrive at a credible outline of my lands.
Once drawn, I populated it
with the names I’d made up, checking each on Google to ensure none of the
chosen names belonged to anyone else or meant something inappropriate in a
foreign language (there is a story that Julie Andrews’ book for children, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
caused her some embarrassment when she was told that ‘whangdoodle’ had a rather
obvious and obscene meaning in Australia. I’ve been unable to discover any
truth in this, and suspect it’s apocryphal, but it still serves as a warning
about the use of unknown words.).
All this work took time
and all had to be done before I could write a word of the story. Over the
period of time it took to complete the preparation and development, the map
turned, as hoped, from off-white to a shade of parchment. A little damp here
and there installed stains and a few folds creased the map so that it now looks
like a piece of ancient cartography that has undertaken several journeys. I
added a compass and a rule in kilometres and miles so that readers can
appreciate distances. I’ve reproduced it here for you to explore, if you wish.
Only after all this
preparation did I begin to think about writing the story. But that’s for
another post. It will come, as will some character sketches, to whet your
appetite for the first volume, which I hope will be published later this year.
Meanwhile, the third volume is growing, standing at 111,000 words as I compose
this post. That means I’m a little over half way through the first daft of the
final book. Books one and two are ready for publication.
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