Someone else said Aloha... I used to write a lot but took a break for some time. I've decided to get myself back into it and have begun some setting development on a blog (link in the signature). I've come here for some critique. I'm predominantly a fantasy author. While the 'science fiction western' is my favourite genre, I'm smart enough to know that my knowledge of physics would make anything I write look like Star Wars or Andromeda (which are fantasy in space, not science fiction, IMAO). I like going places that others haven't or turning cliches on their head. There have been plenty of fantasies based off of Christian or Norse history and theology, but I don't think I've ever crossed one based on Jewish history and theology. I've used Jewish history and theology to inspire two fantasy worlds, one of which I've posted in the settings section. I also had a Dungeons and Dragons based setting about a war between Heaven and Hell with major variations. Heaven was controlled by archangels rather than good gods and Hell was controlled by daemon lords rather than evil gods. Every universe the archangels created had been taken over by the daemon lords because the archangels always attempted to control the situation on their own rather than allowing their followers to fight. The good guy is a ranger/necromancer with ADHD that becomes a lich and spends a good portion of his life as an assassin for his evil uncle.
Welcome, jmhoffer! Fantasy worlds inspired by Jewish theology and history sound very interesting! I'm not Jewish and never been to Israel, but decided to write an ex IDF character (a female) for one urban fantasy novel series I wrote with my husband (we write together). It's yet to be finished as we're now working on another story, but back then I had to do a lot of research on the mythology and theology and it was very interesting! We've both also practiced Krav Maga (though now we're focused on good ole boxing), and the system was used extensively in the aforementioned series. Have fun on the boards!
Shalom JM, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Writing Prompts, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the site rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
