Hello! I've been writing fantasy and fanfiction for years and years -- but moved to historical fiction a few years ago, because it was supposedly considered to be a more "respectable" genre. (HF is just like fantasy, just without magic and magic-users. So, I use mythology for those; after all, gods and goddesses still do things that are "magical"). Which fantasy subgenres do you specialise in? *curious* G'day! I'm sorry; suspense-thriller isn't my forte. Do you mean stuff like James Bond etc.? I'm a little new too, but finding my way around. Hopefully some veterans with more experience will stop by soon to help you. And HAND to you too! (HAND = Have A Nice Day)
Have a nice one yourself! When I first got here what I did was to read some of the active threads, especially some of the long-running ones that I found really interesting. If it's a fascinsting topic, go to the beginning of the thread and read the whole thing. I learned so much doing that, and broadened my ideas about writing, discovered a lot of books I wanted to buy (and did), and started to see things in new ways because I was exposed to all these different ideas about writing. In fact I just rememberd, I also went ahead and read some older threads that were no longer active, just because they were fascinating. Then after a while I started to take part in some of the discussions.
Welcome, Aashruti. Things will make more sense as you wander around the site. When I first came, I casually scrolled through the list of topics, reading what interested me. Not only did I learn some things, but I kinda got to know the people who visit the site.
Hi! I'm currently exploring magical realism and urban fantasy. Side note; apparently there's a soft debate whether or not magical realism needs to have roots in Latin America, but my background *is* Latin America so I kind of have the liberty to write either/or. I also have written in fanfiction fantasy, and am trying to incorporate adventure and martial arts to my writing prose without getting too boggy with the technical terms. I'm a martial artist and I love the practice.
Ah! Then you're the expert. I don't have a background in Latin America, but I did study the Aztecs and Incas for several years, and also studied the life and career of Simón Bolívar, El Libertador! I guess that's unusual for an Australian, but I simply enjoy history. Hmm, funny that you bring up martial arts; just this afternoon, I wrote a little "bit" for my current WIP about unarmed combat (also called hand-to-hand combat). Do you know if "unarmed combat" is an acceptable term?
Ooh! I wouldn't call myself an expert but I have a decent grasp of knowledge. I even studied Mesoamerica in my art history studies and found the Olmec, Aztecs and Inca interesting. I mean, enriching your mind in other cultures might be "strange" but it's also rewarding. I love art history. I personally would say unarmed combat works. Fist fight does, too.
Most of that is to differentiate classic authors like Gabriel Garcia Marques and Isabella Allende from modern fantasy. They brought the genre to the "mainstream" before we had a zillion fantasy genres invading half the literary canon. As for needing to have Latin American roots, I think most of that the cultural connection they have to the dead... the mindset that your dead ancestors accompany and guide you through life. In magic realism, they literally walk side by side with you, which makes the supernatural/magic "real." Classically in the genre, the characters don't even notice it as something out of the ordinary. Like you said, it's a soft debate. You can still write whatever you want, but if it doesn't have that Latin American milieu, there are some that won't consider it magic realism and just slap a fantasy label to it. There's some understandable cultural/regional protectionism there. I can't blame anyone for not wanting to conflate GGM with, oh, I don't know, Neil Gaiman? I like them both, but there's nothing in common with classic Columbian literature and modern American fantasy, even if the product is essentially identical. It's not much different than the French wanting to protect the origins of champagne, or saying a bunch of White kids in Los Angeles can't really play "blues." Kind of silly, but I get it.
Thank you for sharing, the info helped. That info about the dead is interesting to me; I hadn't read anything about that yet & the MR trait gives it a different air than fantasy. For context, I asked what MR was in another chat because it's one of those things that I know what it is but cannot explain & one of the writers said they felt they couldn't use that terminology (b/c of the Latin Roots thing). I can definitely understand wanting to protect culture, especially in literature, because oftentimes it's steamrolled over (so much gets taken from non white cultures), but I even consider Alice Hoffman and other concepts of literature & scriptwriting to be MR. It's a toss up.
Welcome, Ā'isha! Alas, I know almost nothing about the Olmec, except for their name and the fact that they're older even than the Maya. (And yes, I know the Maya came next, experienced a golden age and then -- for some mysterious reason, sometime in the 10th century, i.e. between 900 and 1,000 AD, almost completely disappeared). Then the Inca became a dominant power, and the Aztec dominated modern-day Mexico for about 200 years -- roughly between 1300 and 1521 AD, when Tenochtitlan collapsed under the attack by Hernando Cortez and his band of conquistadores and allied tribes, such as the Tlaxcala. But beyond that, and a few isolated fragments (like the names of some Aztec gods, what the Aztecs/Incas traded in, how they farmed etc.), I know very little. It's a shame. I'd like to know more, but those darned Spanish destroyed almost everything. On the other hand, it's a good thing that we know even that much about Mesoamerican civilizations before contact with the Europeans. Some civilizations (e.g. the Carthaginians, Phoenicians, Akkadians, Sumerians etc.) have been destroyed almost completely.
Good day everyone! I have a question. During last 8 years i was writing a sci-fi story about traveling between worlds. It is almost ready. One step from birth hehe This story is based on few main rules: 1. One Book — One World: Each book in the series explores a new world, its laws, and unique plots. (Alltogether 5 books) 2. The Price of Dreams: Impossible dream has an impossible price. For every miracle character will pay. 3. The Realism of the World: The characters are not stronger than the laws of the world they live in. If they try to break the laws they will be punished. 4. The Birth of the Story: My love for science fiction is rooted in works like Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, Bioshock Infinite, and others. Reader may notice influences from these works in the story. 5. Cultural Mentality: I was born and raised with an Eastern European mentality. According to unofficial literary laws in Eastern Europe, a book is considered successful if the character suffers throughout the story, the writer suffers while writing it, and the reader suffers while reading it. 2/3. Me and main characters suffer a lot hahahahaha. Really, i wrote the preface and shortly told my personal story of how this story was created and written. I'm afraid people won't believe me hahaaha Cause there are episodes of supermarket in the USA where i got idea of book, how i faced new epidemia in China which was called Covid-19, and episodes of darkness and lonelyness in Arctica during polar night. First question: Will this book be attractive for the west culture auditory. Second question: How to promote it? I'm kinda shy guy and i don't have social network with hundreds of followers. I made a page on ko-fi for small donation cause as i understand the price will be 4$ (i need to solve some issues and get ISBN number and complete the cover cause right now it's prototype). Third question: I will be honest that my native language is more difficult then English. I wrote it on my native language. I didnt have resources for professional redaction and translation so i used help of ChatGPT. (Suddenly it was pretty effective. i didn't expect that). My friend philologist approved the quality. And i hope it will be good. Will this version be acceptable for auditory? Thank you very much for reading and sorry if it is too big. I know youre more specialist then me and i would like to expect your advises
Welcome, Demetrio. Congratulations on being so close to the birth of your book. I'm not sure what you mean by "western culture auditory."Are you refering to audio books (books to be listened to rather than read)? Alas, I have to agree with big soft moose that a ChatGPT version of your book is most likely not going to be acceptable quality for either print or audio English versions.
Hello everybody, Where to start? Well, my real name isn't Hideoshi but I always reveal whenever I message members. I was part of another forum for many years, invited into groups with a lot of the strongest writers on the site before having to quit. I've been writing 'properly' for three years I guess. Writing was never on my radar, never something I ever considered and is something that came to me. This sounds weird (I know) but I say this as I do not have a writer's background yet I cannot think of myself not writing nor finishing my stories for others to read. I view myself (always) as a learning writer one, one day, who can be an author. I have huge motivations to learn and write as writing has become an important part of me. I started writing to create, then to grieve, and now I use it as self reflection to be a better person, husband, dad. Writing has given me focus and makes me view the world in a different light. It is my only vice as I stray away from gaming and too much TV. I write Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Romance and Magical Realism. My style is different. How I compose my stories and worlds are not templates I follow from books I have read but how I like to tell a story. They will feel personal and I strive to make a reader emote with a simple style, my aim; to take you away from this world for a few minutes and into mine. I view Writing as a lonely dream, but one that can be filled with allies to help you climb that mountain. I have found many friendly voices, grateful for their encouragement but 'lost' even more because I no longer frequent the place we called 'home.' I dislike the world entering into AI assisted writing. For me this isn't writing, as I am old fashioned enough to think that writing is going through the hardships of learning, taking in critiques and criticisms on your stories that you think were in good order. I see AI as a cheat code, a skip that takes away all the individuality and soul of a writer. Many of my readers have commented on my stories, highlighting odd sentences and its structure, and for me, I can learn from this rather than rely on software to correct this continuing mistake. I am always open for a chat, so if you wish to say hello, please drop me a message. I will reply in kind, it is fun getting to know others.
@Hideoshi Thank you so much for the touching post. Do you remember the first time I read your writing? I meant what I said - you have the heart of a poet.
Hello Catriona! Did you post a reply in this thread? I may have to dig around this thread and have a look. I do. It's something that has powered me to continue to write. I'm always thankful for your kind words.
I don't know. Hmm. Guess I should look... By George, I did, back when I joined on February 23, 2021. Since you asked, it says: I am Catriona. Professionally, I write about fiber arts and science, including a quarterly newsletter on wildlife-related topics. I also write fiction with varying degrees of success. Things have changed since then. After nine years of writing the wildlife newsletter, I retired in May. My fiction has taken off with a literary Southern Gothic novel scheduled for release by Kensington Publishing Corp in March. The publisher recently notified me the book is a Publishers Marketplace BUZZ BOOKS Selection. If you're interested, look here: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496753120/the-song-of-the-blue-bottle-tree/ (Dearest mods, if I screwed up by including the link, please tell me and I'll remove it.)
Wooow ... what an interesting post! Not to clog up this thread with my silly replies I will message you soon! Love to read some of your 'varying degrees of success' fiction is, if you are happy to share!
I'm currently doing a year long master's degree that involves reading plays along with writing (not creative writing however). I guess it'll help me improve my English and other professional skills but I'm feeling a bit sad because my bachelor's degree was focused on creative writing (of screenplays and plays). Once I hopefully complete this I'll try to focus on screenwriting again.
Hi, I've had a few things published here and there, I would just like to find a place to post some poetry on the odd occasion, make some new friends (hopefully). I am working on a book and I swap with some people on that, so I am tentatively looking just for a place to post and critique poetry. Any help, guidance, or hello's would be much appreciated. I'm fine with critting other people's work in a friendly and open way, I just have no idea where to get started (no worries I'll look through the advice). It would be nice to have a place to post the odd poem or two. Thank you, My sobriquet, based on my favourite tea PG tips
Hello PG! I have two types of English Tea, PG!!! and Twinnings. You need to try it, as drinking one and then the other makes me appreciate the other more. I have to say Moeen was one of my favourite players in Tests and the shorter formats. I love Jos Buttler too and feel if McCullen and Stokes came in a few years earlier then we would have seen a much better (in terms of stats) Moeen.
Hi, thank you, I couldn't find an actual photo of the real Lion, so yes I chose Moeen as he comes from the same city as me, thank you, though I am embarrassed to say I bowl and bat 2000 times better than that fine England all-rounder (in my head), though I did get the yips bowling to my Nephews this summer and suddenly realised I was bowling leg-breaks by complete accident. Better than Bradman but nowhere close to SF Barnes, all the best A nice cuppa
