Friends, I want you to imagine, if not for a brief moment, that there is a world of infinite wonder and magic hidden within the shadows of the modern world. A world where all of mankind's most treasured beliefs, faiths, myths and legends are baseless lies, belief is powerless, ignorance is deadly, magic is just as much a scientific discipline as it is an art, Gaia is a ravening amoral psychopath, the afterlife is one big rip-off, the past was utterly devoid of any magic, vampires are not all-powerful romantic anti-heroes (they're actually rather dark and unpleasant things), and supernatural beings aren't the least bit bothered by the rise of technology, consumerism, and modernization; in fact, many of them are rather fond of it. In short, a world where all the usual tropes and story devices of the Urban Fantasy genre get heartlessly subverted Alright, here's what's going on: since I was old enough to read, I've been utterly obsessed Urban Fantasy. The whole concept of there being much more to reality than what we perceive and themes of hidden worlds and magic in the modern world struck a very powerful chord in me. Ever since I got interested in the genre, I've wanted to create my own tale of urban fantasy and modern magic but I never did have the time or my own unique world to set the story in to go through with it. However, after several years of hard study, gaming, psychedelic dreams, and personal growth, I have managed to cobble together a magical world of my own and even though I'm still just an armature (and that might be a generous assessment of my abilities) I'm going to take a crack at writing a story. My story is still in the early stages (as I have a LOT of fine details to iron out), but here's the bare bones basics: during the Tunguska Event in 1908, a portal opened up between our reality and the Outer Black, a surreal dimension filled with magic and otherworldly beings, thus allowing the supernatural access to our world for the first time in recorded history. Hidden by a natural phenomenon known as the Veil, these supernatural elements have led to the creation of a bizarre occult underground, known as the Terra Incognita/Legion, secreted away in the shadows of civilization populated by all sorts of freaks, lunatics, outcasts, and weirdos. This isn't your stereotypical occult underground with black robed figures, pentagrams, and voodoo dolls either; real magic is much stranger than that. The typical inhabitants of the terra incognita include secret societies of magic-using video store clerks who keep humanity safe from supernatural evils by renting out magical video games and enchanted pornography, homeless wizards who dwell in large elaborate mansions safely tucked away inside of cardboard boxes, bloodthirsty elven Jehovah's Witnesses, mild mannered Ogre car salesmen, and knightly orders of spellslinging crime-fighting janitors to name a few. The Outer Black isn't much better either: the entire realm is little more than several billion interconnected dimensional pockets created via reality shattering cataclysm that have some seriously wonky physics and even weirder inhabitants (they're best described as something like a combination of mutant Tolkien-esque fantasy races and Lovecraftian abominations). I’m outlining several characters and possible plots, but I’m giving serious thought to basing the whole story around the exploits of an oddball band of "Slingers," freelance wizards willing to take on almost any job. Here are the character’s I’ve thought of so far: “Prowlie:” A skilled, if not somewhat unhinged and neurotic, warrior-mage who used to be a guy. She acquired her skill-set, knowledge of the supernatural, and current profession thanks to an incident involving gender-bending, the Church of James Dean, Wal Mart, a band of really friendly goblins, and brief breakdown in the metaphysical structure of reality. “Tim:” A fiercely anti-fascist, anti-racist, ultra-liberal British skinhead and investigative genius who discovered the Terra Incognita after a weekend of hard partying, binge drinking, a few freaky acid trips, and a brief romantic fling with a drug dealing hermaphrodite. That’s all I got for now. I’ll be posting up more info as story development progresses. So do you guys think I have a good idea here? Do you got any advice for a novice writer like me?
A lot of members will tell you that our opinion on the idea itself means nothing. I won't. I really like the idea you proposed. And especially the humor you provided with your characters : P.
A story concept, even a very detailed one, means nothing. I can tell you now, it has been done before. What matters is how you write it, the characterization, the flow, the imagery, all of it. There's no point to asking what other people think of the concept! They'll either say,"Sounds great," or, "it sounds like a ripoff of..." If the idea stirs you, write it. Then ask people what they think of the final story. After they tell you what they don't like about it, revise it, usually several times, until you're happy with it or until you throw up your hands and say the hell with it. Please read this thread about What is Plot Creation and Development? (and yes, this is a template post, which should give you an idea of how often this comes up.)
Even a crazy story idea like a dinosaur clothed in humans skin can be successful. Yes that is a real story, and a successful line of novels.
