Building a World from Scratch.

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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Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas, Reviewed.

Many years ago, I bought the vinyl LP of the BBC radio production of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood. It’s subtitled, ‘A Play for Voices’, and that’s about as accurate a description as I can think of. The radio production is superb, with the brilliant Richard Burton articulating the First Voice in his own inimitable style. A wonderful listening experience.

But what of the text? I picked up a copy from a small independent bookshop whilst shopping in Beverley with my daughter for a student cook book, which we also found.

The text is inevitably flavoured by my memory of the broadcast. I hear the various voices, all of them Welsh, as I turn the pages. It’s a dazzling piece of writing. The characters are alive and so distinctive. The words bring to life real people, individuals drawn from Dylan’s past. He must have been a great observer of people, if his understanding of them is anything to go by. The stories they tell, the opinions they express, the incidents they cause and observe, all point to a creator who lived with them on intimate terms.

The occasional melancholy and touch of genuine sorrow apart, the play is bursting with humour. Here is a piece that celebrates life, celebrates what it is to be a human being. It is, unescapably, very Welsh in terms of language and a view of village life, but it manages to encompass all human experience in spite of its parochial setting. I laughed out loud through much of the reading, so full of joy and exuberance is the text.

If you want a brief interlude of fun, entertainment and wonder at the sheer genius of a man who could do amazing things with words, this is for you. This is one of those rare experiences in life: a perfectly created piece of imaginative storytelling. Brilliant. You’ll love it!

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Reviewing the Reviewers?

What are reviews to you, as a writer, as a reader? Do they influence what you write, what you read?

As a writer, in particular, do some remarks from reviews of your work stay with you? Do they haunt or taunt, or do they inspire and motivate you?

I recently came across a feature on a site I use daily, but visit only rarely. (A contradiction? Not really, the site, Booktrakr, provides me with daily stats on book sales, but I visit it occasionally to update my info.) I hadn’t been aware that they not only collect sales data but also reproduce all the reviews that appear on the sites where they gather their information. As a result, I was able to see reviews of my work that had previously passed me by. By the way, if you’re a published author, you might like to try the site. It’s still in beta, and there are still a few odd glitches, but they’re improving their data all the time. It was through this website that I discovered one of my books had suddenly jumped up the lists to appear in a couple of top 100 lists.

Back to the matter in hand. I read these reviews and realised that readers approach books from very personal angles. One, in particular, stuck out. The book had received a large number of 5 star reviews, with most of the readers completely ‘getting’ the story, the themes and the approach. One, however, awarded a 2 star review but added the codicil that she’d enjoyed all aspects of the story but one. There’s a graphic scene in the novel, describing a savage rape. It’s there for a very specific purpose and is deliberately as far away from erotic as it can be. All other reviewers understood the purpose of the scene and that it wasn’t intended to be erotic. But this reviewer criticised the inclusion, saying that rape is not erotic. Well, yes. Obviously. So, this one reader had missed that point entirely.

As a writer, it would be very easy to get hung up on such a point: had I written it in a way that was ambiguous? Well, no. The other reviews showed it had been understood for what it was. But it is too easy for us to take such things personally. All readers come to books with their own set of experiences, their past, their nurturing and their natures. We all know that it’s impossible, and indeed undesirable, to please all of the people all of the time, of course. But I’ve talked with writers who would take such criticism to heart. In fact, some very promising writers, sensitive and gentle souls with something important to say and the talent to say it well, have actually given up writing as a result of some critical point that they’ve taken personally.

What I’m trying to stress here is that a review is a comment on the work, not on the author. Reviewers doesn’t know the author, they only know the work, and they see that through their own particular filters. It’s inevitable that a writer will attract adverse comment. There is no way to avoid it. Some would say that a piece of work that fails to attract dissent is not doing its job properly. And, of course, we all understand that there are trolls out there whose only purpose in life is to vent their frustration and their inability to communicate effectively by making personal insults. Such irrational and cheap remarks can only be ignored. But the comments from a thoughtful reviewer have the potential to alter a writer’s view of his work.

I’d never expect a reviewer to alter their opinion and I certainly wouldn’t get involved in a slanging match with anyone who had something adverse to say about my work. It’s utterly non-productive and makes the writer look both foolish and desperate. So, I’d advise writers simply to accept that there will be some negative opinions of your work. Some will be due to mistaken impressions, some will be formed from points of view that oppose your own, some will reflect the experiences of the reviewer and some will be true, of course. Provided the balance is in favour, and positive, there’s little point in allowing it to influence you. Obviously, if the majority opinion is negative in a specific way, it might be worth examining the piece anew. But, in general, take what you can from every point of view and then get on with your writing, in your voice. That’s why you write, isn’t it? To express your opinion, to show the world as it is through your eyes?

So, don’t blame the reviewers. Accept what they say, or make sure you never read your reviews if you’re unable to take them for what they are: the view of that piece of work by that reviewer; no more, no less.

And, whilst I’m on this topic, let me use the opportunity to thank all those who have reviewed my books. I truly appreciate your comments and the time and effort you make to let others know your thoughts.

Oh, and if you're interested, many of the reviews of my work are listed with the books under the tab above, labelled 'Published Work'.

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Deception, by Mary Jay, Reviewed.

Mary Jay’s first novel, Deception, explores the lives and relationships of those who come into contact

with her central character. Miranda’s own relationships are central and the complex characters with whom she interacts are all substantial, individual and realistically realised. Readers of my reviews will know that character is the one aspect I must engage with in a novel and it certainly applies to this one.

Do not expect fast action, violence or sex. But, if you’re looking for a developing story laced with intrigue and a psychological menace that lurks in the background, always threatening to startle and surprise, you’ll find it here. The love story develops slowly and grows as Miranda explores her feelings and attempts to resolve her internal conflicts through engagement with her creative self. A painter and a college tutor, she lives a lot of her life on the edge, rather than as a central or pivotal figure. But success in her artistic endeavours is rising above the horizon and she believes her love life is mirroring that shift.

There are undercurrents, mostly subtle and shadowy, that bring gnawing threats to Miranda’s personal and professional lives. A student hovers in her background, his aims and motivation always hinted at rather than made explicit. As a lover, she chooses to be involved with a mountaineer, a man so far from her everyday experience in almost every way that the reader wonders whether she is actually afraid of evolving a relationship that might have a hope of permanence.

Just as she makes the decisions she might have made to her advantage earlier in life, circumstances take over and result in the sudden, unexpected and ultimately inevitable denouement. It is an ending that leaves the audience with questions to ask, allowing the maturity and experience of the reader to answer those maybes, might-have-beens and what-ifs for himself.

Published by Fantastic Books Publishing, this novel has slow and gentle start that draws the reader in and, as he comes to know the characters, drives the desire to complete the read. A thoughtful novel and one I recommend to the thoughtful reader.

Buying links:

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