But then wouldn't a reasonably well educated, well read, fairly intelligent human being have most of what they need for just a good fantasy tale as general knowledge?
I think it depends on what kind of reading they were doing on the way to "well read". I think that wide and deep coverage of human customs and beliefs, across history and across geography, isn't necessarily something that a person learns a whole lot about in the general way of things. ChickenFreak
Maybe it is just me then I read anything I can get my hands on for me a textbook is as fascinating as a novel. When I sat down to write my stories I knew about various religions, cultures, polictical systems etc Most people I mix with have views on religion, culture etc and know what they would like to see.
To break the rules - you must understand them. It's very hard to truly deviate from reality - we're all products of our environment and experiences. This is especially true of science fiction...regardless of how soft or hard it is. Most science fiction does not predict the future - it merely reflects the present, and contemporary issues. I know that's another genre, but it's a good example of alternative realities. In your story, I would still research grandfather clocks and crystals - even if I decided that the grandfather clock was made in Toys R Us out of rubber. It helps to generate ideas, as Chicken Freak pointed out.
The grandfather clock is a well worn idea for time travel, it wasn't an idea I came up with all by myself. Moondial (OK it is about a moon dial rather than a grandfather clock but it is a time piece), Tom's Midnight Garden and Ghibli's Howls Moving Castle use it very well. Opening the door into another world isn't something I came up with in a vacuum either. The time travel stories that use clocks usually also have a door to open. Even with Dr Who he has to open the TARDIS door to the new world. The crystal is made from an ore only found at the very heart of the universe - it is what conducts all energy around the universe. However I live near the findhorn foundation it is a bit difficult to not know about crystals and energies lol
Nice! I like that. Well, reading similar literature is research And I remember Findhorn!!! - I got taken in by a lesbian couple there because it was raining and I had no where to sleep...I remember it was full of posh hippies - very interesting place. Just an anecdote dying to burst out there.
Yeah but it has been about 25 years since I read those books last lol It wasn't research for my book it was just reading a good story Like I know about castles because I live near Findhorn lol and there are loads here. I know about medieval society because remnants of it are still in the local towns (the stone where the MacBeth Witches were hung is about 3 miles from here. The blasted heath isn't that far either lol The market crosses and tollbooths are still present). The foundation is interesting and they do great veggies. Research to write a good story is all around us if you keep your eyes open.
Now that place would make a good foundation for a fantasy story. I think I remember being told that the place was once infertile - and a certain character enlisted the aid of fairies to make the award winning veggies grow. That's cool. There's fantasy everywhere when ya think about it.
People forget Fantasy is the granddaddy of genres - it has been around forever. Down to the creation stories etc Even if you believe they are real they still involve supernatural power. When you look at the idea of the magic hunting theories relating to cave paintings etc Fairy Tales we grew up with. In the days before internet or printed books even stories were still told, they entertained people and research wasn't available. The stories came from the life experience. Fantasy has been around much longer than most story genres. For me as with any story it is about the world you write about being believeable - rather than accurate or true to life. It doesn't have to be real just in context to the world you have built. For example my favourite novel is Mist Over Pendle about the Pendle Witches - Robert Neill has lots of exquisite period details but his story and characters have no historical accuracy what so ever. They existed but what he is woven is a story. The stories about the soil here is amazing - fact is though it has always been a case of show the soil a seed and it grows.
