Now, my newest question is not one of the actual writing, but the pre-writing. I am trying to plan for my stories a little, but my plots always end up a little bland, and I only spice them up as I go along. Now, this system has been working okay so far, but I really want to get one of those "wow" plots, that make you go back and read it again just to see the subtleties of the thing. Like Fight Club, or the Da Vinci Code.
Are there any tricks to getting that really good mystery set up, or do you just need lots of practice with suspense and foreshadowing. I figured that if you keep in mind your overall goal, you can foreshadow much easier, but I can never find really good places to do it in. Does anyone have any methods they use that they would like to share?
I'm going to keep this short, in consideration for the individual who feels I need to be "gagged"; if you'd like a longer discussion, feel free to pm me.
In my opinion, suspense and foreshadowing are very hard to do well. Too much of the latter and you give the story away; too much of the former and your conclusion looks contrived. If you want to read something short (as in a short story) that's beautifully suspenseful, try William Faulkner's,
A Rose for Emily. And think about this: the basic plot for that short story is very, very bland. It's almost idiotic bland. What makes the story so suspenseful, what keeps you reading, is coming to care for what happens to the main character. And Faulkner foreshadows that story very well - two specific scenes come to mind.
I think the key is to be realistic in your plot and story development. Again, pm me if you'd like further information.
Also, I am trying to write some original fantasy, within my own universe, and am having trouble getting the same kind of lore depth that things like Tes and LotR have. Now, I know they spent years making those things up, but I just seem to be getting lost, not really knowing where to start. I googled it, but I can't really find a good, step by step process that I really like. I'm trying a bottom up principle starting with religion, but I keep finding my ideas restricted by my previous "laws". For example, I want to expand the map, but I made the borders already within my creation myth. Should I just revise my creation myth then? Any of you writers that aren't solely fan fiction should know what I'm talking about
Thanks, your help is appreciated :goodjob:
This semester I took a course in which we studied how people write books. Literally, how they prepare and write them. Some people write an entire book without doing any research (Stephen King is probably the most well-known proponent of this approach). Other writers, like Kazuo Ishiguro, spend years researching a novel before writing a single word. As you note, Tolkien developed put years developing middle earth - including a language system and literature.
Maybe you shouldn't start with religion - that seems to be more of an effect that a cause (we have a sun god because there's a sun in the sky). Perhaps it's better to start with a world, then a map. Consider the geology of planets (even a brief amount of research would give you a start). What kind of people evolved in this type of environment? Is it a harsh climate, difficult to farm, lots of poor societies? Is it rich in minerals or other resources that will enable the development of technology?
Once you have your planet, create your societies based upon the natural and logical reaction to the world around them. If there's lots of water, they might have a sea-based economy. If no water, then how do they deal with that. The more you plan out your world, the more ideas will come to you. If you want a list, you might consider:
1. What's the planet or where does this take place?
2. What is the natural environment?
3. What are the natural resources? What is valuable?
4. Where would people be found?
5. Where would they find food? What would they eat?
6. How was technology developed? (Remember, most technology is based on an immediate need - nothing spawns military creativity like a war.)
7. Then maybe start thinking about religion and law?
I hope this helps. As I said, pm if you want to discuss this further.