Well, This is my first post here. I am new and have joined just last night. I have tried to write my first full-length novel based on a fantasy theme a few months back but have been unsuccessfully. The fantasy element of it I can easily make. For that I only have to be honest to myself and bring in those concepts of which I dreamed in childhood. But the original plotline as to how I will bring it about is giving me trouble. I have firmly decided that I will not set my story in another land unconnected to our own. It will not be in a completely new setting. It will be integrated in our own world. It will start in the real world and end in the real world. But thats just it. How do I bring this about. How do I start integrating the fantasy element into the real world. My concept is basically based on wizardry. The world has fifteen spheres: fire-lightning, water-ice, wind-spirit, earth-nature, life-light, death-darkness, sun, moon, and void. Each elemental sphere is governed by a spirit(whose names I shall decide later). Above these spirits governing the laws of this world is Gaia, the Supreme Goddess. Now the wizards survive side-by-side with the normal people. This is possible becoz although they live in the same world, they live in a segregated dimension. Also side-by-side with them live elves, dwarves, draconians, and orcs. Each of these races is proficient in the use of magic although i different elemental spheres. Now the thing is I wan to introduce a young 16 yr old girl into this world. Basically all humans have magical powers. They have simply forgot it. So her powers are awoken on entering this world and she is hailed as the...well I can't say much now. But basically how do I introduce this seemingly normal girl into this world of magic and wizardry? Thats whats troubling me. Ho will she stumble upon this world? Mind you she will not know her place in that world unless she enters it. Infact is she did not enter it then she would have lived out normal life. Its not fate or destiny its just chance. So how do I do it? Please give some suggestions. Thanks. -Kyle
Firstly, I believe you need a theme or subtext to a story to make it go somewhere, but that's me. So, what is the point of your story? Does in comment on anything? Where will this girl go at the end? By that I mean what will she learn. Magic: Do magic users have to hide their magic from people? If not, then how do normal people take it? Both are full stories right there. How do people learn magic. Is it studied, or cosmically downloaded into your head when you desire it? You have to write your rules for magic, then the problem will answer itself.
And so Alice fell trough the looking glass... How do you make a 16 year old girl stumble onto a magical world... Lety me put it this way; In theorie, there are more ways to enter other world then there are to stay in your own; seemingly normal things turning into portals (looking glasses being the obvious here); accidently saying a spell outloud; she gets kidnapped; she finds a clue of those worlds in her dreams; she is introduced to those worlds by someone or some thing. Man, it's a miracle we are all still here... I suggest you read some of the other topics. Magic is explained in a number of other topics, as are alternate dimensions.
The "fantasy breakthrough" typically takes one of two forms: gradual or sudden. Gradual breakthrough: The character sees hints that there is something beyond her world or begins to feel there are unexplainable elements in her world. She follows the clues until she reaches a point where an important decision must be made: ignore it and go on with life as usual or take that irreversible final step into the new world. Sudden breakthrough: There are no clues (or at least the character doesn't take notice of them). The fantasy world and the real world collide with little or no foresight and the character has no choice but to learn to survive in the new world. Sometimes (such as in Alice in Wonderland) the original world doesn't change at all, but the character alone is taken into the new world, has an adventure there, then returns. Either way, the change is sudden and the character has no choice in the matter. I'm not sure which version you'd prefer. They both have advantages and disadvantages. My current novel is a bit of a combination of both, but my two worlds aren't totally separate like yours. The magic users have been hidden for centuries, but they're still around, living among us. One human begins to suspect something strange is going on and starts to gather information on the subject, but before he can know all there is to know, there's a sudden uprising and the magic nation makes its presence known and goes to war against all humanity. Returning to the point... I find it dificult to give a specific answer to your question because I don't understand what you mean by a "segregated dimension." Can she see any signs of their world? If not, how does she find their world? If so, how much of it does she see (can she see their true forms or are they made to look like ordinary people)? in short, I need to know what the two worlds share. If they're in the same world, but different dimension, something must be able to bridge the gap. And that "something" is what will likely give her access. Find the gateway -the thing they have in common- then you'll have no problem finding a way to break it down.
okay, thanks for all the advive, now it seems most of you have good enough ideas to help me along and i'm already planning something based on Annoymouse's idea but i thnk you could help me better if i answer the one question that all of you seem to be asking. ;how does this other wizard world exist?" Well its like this. At one point of time all the creatures(including elves dwarves humans and the like) could use magic. but then something happened(a magical disaster which i am still working on) and the humans became afraid of magic. so most them decided to forsake magic forever. they used their final reserves of magic to separate earth as we know it into two diff worlds. the earth that modern humans live in is only half the size of what it used to be. the other half belongs to the wizards. the only ;bridges between the two worlds are certain locations called 'transpots'. these were created accidentally. the humans who wanted to forsake magic meant to separate themselves permanently but their magic was not powerful enough and the separation was not complete. so the transpots came into existence. these transpots existed simultaneously in both worlds. i hope that answers that question. i look forard to more ideas. thank you
