The problem with writing a story is... you end up doing a lot of editing later. This is even more true if you do things like I do, writing a bunch of story and then actually doing world-building and research. Ah, the joy of setting yourself up for editing, failure, and pain. And after all that, even more revision!
Extraneous filler junk- delete. It certainly serves no purpose in the story.
Well, I might use some material from this in another place, so I'll save it as a separate file. After all, there's some great scenes and/or bits of dialogue. Then I'll start a huge collection of excerpts, scenes, and entire chapters. Nothing major, I'm not a virtual file hoarder or anything.
Well, I might use some material from this in another place, so I'll save it as a separate file. After all, there's some great scenes and/or bits of dialogue. Then I'll start a huge collection of excerpts, scenes, and entire chapters. Nothing major, I'm not a virtual file hoarder or anything.
Plot point that makes no sense- revise. Logically, the main character should know this. Why would my character behave this way, considering past events? What inspires them to take this action?
And also, consider the scene where the two characters are having a conversation after they assume the main character has fallen asleep. If the two of them are fluent in this other language and the main character isn't, why would they be talking to each other in English? Just as a precaution in case the other person does wake up, they should choose a tongue that he won't understand.
And also, consider the scene where the two characters are having a conversation after they assume the main character has fallen asleep. If the two of them are fluent in this other language and the main character isn't, why would they be talking to each other in English? Just as a precaution in case the other person does wake up, they should choose a tongue that he won't understand.
Places I didn't name- go back and actually NAME stuff. And of course, that involves completely making things up, or playing with things like Fantasy Name Generators and Google Translate. And if you're naming a region where another language is dominant, might as well look up spelling and pronunciation rules for that language before you get too far in made-up names of any sort. You're going to need Wiktionary anyway, in order to double-check words on Google Translate.
World-building I've put off forever- get your rear in gear and do it. That means developing history and culture. Wouldn't want them to lose their roots simply because I'm too lazy to do a Google search, or give the region practically no history. Yeah, they've been in the region for centuries, and nothing happened in all that time.
And then let's concentrate on flora and fauna. (Because I'm terrific with plants. They're the green things that attract insects and spiderwebs, right?) Realize you need to do research in order to achieve this, because you don't know how huge animals like gryphons fly, or what to feed a ten-foot-tall dragon, or what kind of tree your character nearly broke his arm falling out of, or when merry-go-rounds were invented and how they were originally powered. And you make up new places, which then have to be named, so we circle back to naming places.
Characters without names- give that nameless rabble an identity. Sooner or later you'll have to introduce those characters, and they'd better have names to present to your main characters. Otherwise we end up with What's-His-Face and Whozit, a fate I'd prefer to avoid. And that means you have to find some good names for them. Cue the Think Baby Names website. This lovely tool allows you to search for names by gender, meaning, and origin. Of course, if you're indecisive like me, it may not reduce the time spent naming characters.
So how long will all of this take? Well, let's see, I've been working on these stories and this fantasy setting for over two years now. I'm nowhere near completion.
So if you're writing a novel, or an entire series, be prepared for the joy of creating plots, settings, and characters. And be prepared for the long process of making everything absolutely perfect, and the possibility of being wrong and having to edit.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
World-building I've put off forever- get your rear in gear and do it. That means developing history and culture. Wouldn't want them to lose their roots simply because I'm too lazy to do a Google search, or give the region practically no history. Yeah, they've been in the region for centuries, and nothing happened in all that time.
And then let's concentrate on flora and fauna. (Because I'm terrific with plants. They're the green things that attract insects and spiderwebs, right?) Realize you need to do research in order to achieve this, because you don't know how huge animals like gryphons fly, or what to feed a ten-foot-tall dragon, or what kind of tree your character nearly broke his arm falling out of, or when merry-go-rounds were invented and how they were originally powered. And you make up new places, which then have to be named, so we circle back to naming places.
Characters without names- give that nameless rabble an identity. Sooner or later you'll have to introduce those characters, and they'd better have names to present to your main characters. Otherwise we end up with What's-His-Face and Whozit, a fate I'd prefer to avoid. And that means you have to find some good names for them. Cue the Think Baby Names website. This lovely tool allows you to search for names by gender, meaning, and origin. Of course, if you're indecisive like me, it may not reduce the time spent naming characters.
So how long will all of this take? Well, let's see, I've been working on these stories and this fantasy setting for over two years now. I'm nowhere near completion.
So if you're writing a novel, or an entire series, be prepared for the joy of creating plots, settings, and characters. And be prepared for the long process of making everything absolutely perfect, and the possibility of being wrong and having to edit.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
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