Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Alternative Worlds


Can you post every day except Sundays during this month?  And to up the bar, can you blog thematically from A to Z? That’s the A to Z challenge!  And I’ve decided to have a go. I’m pleased to announce that I have already had one small success this morning by successfully putting a new badge on the blog, so I’m on a roll.



The challenge doesn’t count the Sundays in April which leaves 26 days--one day for each letter of the alphabet.  








Alternative Worlds
I love stories set in alternative worlds. Philip Pullman ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy of fantasy novels comprising Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Garth Nix ‘Abhorsen Trilogy’  including Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen are some of my favourites.

Since I’m preparing to do the Fantastic Fiction element of my MA in September, I’ve been doing a lot of pre reading. Which has resulted in me getting more and more confused about how I was going to build my fantasy world until I was given this incredible tip from a great (if unpublished) author.

‘Have you seen ‘The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise?’
I admitted I had.
‘Remember how the main character kept a journal of how these extraordinary people behaved? Do that. Lots of cups of coffees. Day dream and make notes on your world, get all the daily details down on paper.’

Best advice ever! If you are building an entire new world why not give it a go?’

40 comments:

  1. Good advice - always write down the details :) Hope you're enjoying the AtoZ.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings

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  2. I so agree with you on the day dreaming and note taking. I once read someone and I'm sorry, I can't remember who, that said, treat your world like an iceberg - build it with lots of details until you're sure about it, but then only show the reader the top, the bit above the surface, which will be multidimensional because of all that is below.

    Happy A to Z
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
    Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic

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    1. Great idea - and I'm pleased we are following each other's blog. I will have to check out your second :)

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  3. Details--the ones that say a lot in the smallest space--are what make a fantasy or scifi milieu plausible. I always admired Frank Herbert's world building, not only in the Dune series, but in his stand-alones like The White Plague. He starts with a "what if" and spins it in amazing ways.
    Cheers, Laurel
    Laurel's Leaves

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  4. Music. I always listen to music and make up music videos in my head set in that world. The more diverse music you listen to, the better it gets :)
    Happy A to Z!

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    1. My brother puts together "soundtracks" for his novels so he has something to listen to while writing. We've both also gotten good ideas for stories from music, often for things that aren't really about what the songs are about. (Latest such: Peter Gabriel's cover of "My Body Is a Cage" by Arcade Fire. Now we know how his protagonist's father died... )

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  5. I keep a notebook with me at all times. I'd be crippled if I relied only on my memory. Some ideas need preserving!

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  6. Never gave a thought to writing down the details but it's great advise. Thanks for the comment on my blog about family history. That's one place where details are important and the one area where I have notes scattered all over my desk. If you're thinking about family history, keep it in mind that it takes on a life of its own but if you are doing alternate worlds, there would be some great stories there to play with.

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  7. Hey! I'm having trouble with Google too--it just has to happen on the first day of the challenge. Anyway, that's a good idea. Taking notes on my daydreams is pretty much writing :)

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  8. Congrats on getting your badge to work. It's those small "maintenance" projects that always feel good to accomplish, eh? I am in awe of all of you who write fantasy or sci fi fiction. We all work from different parts of our brains and hearts. I'm dedicating part of my A to Z visits to bloggers whose interest and talents are in the realms I don't work. Nevertheless, your advice about recording details and always carrying a notebook - I have started doing that and it helps keep me from feeling brain-cluttered.

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  9. I read that as alternative words, just goes to show how bad my eyesight is, heh, i like alternative words and worlds. I used to roleplay a lot so know my fair share of alternative worlds in that fashion. Good luck with the A-Z and thank you for popping by my blog x

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  10. Congratulations on your badges! Very exciting for you. Best wishes with the A to Z Challenge and all of your other endeavors.

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  11. I love me a good alternative universe! You can do so much more than you can in the real one. :)

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  12. Good luck with the challenge and thanks for visiting me :) I don't really read fantasy fiction, but my OH always refers to my dreams as Planet Jude as I have quite surreal dreams!

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  13. Fantasy writing definitely has its own challenges--so much to keep track of!

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  14. Its an Amusing idea. Will try to take notes while daydreaming next time!
    And happy A-Zing
    http://aasinabsurd.blogspot.com

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  15. Journals do really help, great tip. I also saw, and liked, Last Samarai.
    Your newest member, Shawn at Laughing at Life 2

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  16. :) Looks like we chose the same general topic for the first post.

    I'm not very good at keeping a journal -- if I have an idea for a story, I write it as a fragment of story instead of descriptions jotted in a journal. On the other hand, I probably need a more organized way of keeping track of all those fragments. Maybe a sort of loose-leaf journal so I can move pages around as I need to...

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  17. The artist part of me is visual so I do maps and time lines and lots of pictures. I have two alternate worlds and 2 ms's that could stand a dusting ;)
    Best with yours
    Happy A to Zing
    Alive with Poetry

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  18. A world journal sounds like a very intriguing thing to do. I made a FB page for one of my alternative worlds. Untethered Realms

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  19. Thank you for all your wonderful comments

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  20. I really could do with a journal, instead of all those scraps of paper (most of them are lost). Authors have wonderful imaginations, taking them to alternative worlds. Fantasy seems to be contagious.

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  21. I have always enjoyed reading about alternative worlds and look forward to your musings about them. Good luck with the A-Z challenge!

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  22. This is excellent advice to start a journal. World building takes a lot of thought...things will change as you go. Thanks for visiting my blog!
    Shells–Tales–Sails

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  23. p.s. oops, you need to turn off captha for the A-Z :)

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  24. World building is a challenge for me. I've tried coming up with character lists and detailed descriptions of places but I realised I spent too much time on that instead of writing the story. But I'm persisting! :)

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  25. What great advice, thank you so much for sharing it. It is definitely something I will try to remember and use in the future. If my scatterbrain allows :)

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  26. Haven't seen 'The Last Samurai.' Will check it out soon. Love the advice by the way, Comley!

    SittieCates

    Latest Blog Post: #AtoZChallenge Post: B for Bubbles Day by Ally Nathaniel



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  27. You definitely want to have a lot of details as you work on world building!

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  28. From the books I've read, I agree that the more detail, the more believable the story is.

    Eileen @ In My Playroom (also doing the A to Z Challenge)

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  29. I would have to say my favorite of all Alternate worlds would have to be the Hitch Hikers Guide series. I love " Do Not Panic " and "Life Don't Talk to Me About Life" lines.This is something I always try to keep in mind. Great start.

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  30. Informative post. Thanks for visiting and following my blog. I'm following you now.

    Sunni

    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

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  31. If you're going to write fantasy then I recommend these books, The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, ISBN: 978-0-521-72873-7 and The Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones ISBN: 0-14-240722-4. Both very helpful books. Good luck on your stories.

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  32. Great advice! Another tactic I've never used. I think I get overwhelmed trying to think of entire social and economic systems for alternate worlds I'm attempting to create.

    I know I'm going backwards, but I think in your "D" post you asked if you write people with dialect. I have ritualistically avoided creating entire language schemes and the thought of keeping track of various dialects gives me anxiety.

    Like most mentioned above, I build specific playlists for each WiP I have in the works, which I listen to when writing that particular piece.

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

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  33. I am thorougly enjoying the A-Z challenge and the wonderful people I am meeting!

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