Creating your own fantasy 'species'

[Fiona Southwell]

I have been wondering what people's opinions were on this. Is there a limit to what you can do with fantasy? When does it start to thread over into something more like scifi? Is it better to stick to what you already know, create something all your own, or 'improve' on something that's already well known?

I tend to use the first or third option.

Thoughts?

[AB]

Yeah, I'd agree. I feel it is pretty hard to create a species that is completely new. I'm sure we could all do it but I feel the reader likes to be grounded to things they know (even if it's only a small amount). That's not to say it's not going on though. Look at Philip Pullman with his Daemans. I'd never heard of that before and they're a great idea. For those of you who don't know the Daeman is like your soul. It takes the form of a talking animal and can shift to different animals until the person becomes a teenager and then it settles on form that best suits its owner.

PS - sorry for the delay getting back to you. For some reason things that get posted in the Groups section don't get reported on the homepage :\ I'm looking into it

AB

[Fiona Southwell]

No worries Andy =)

Expanding on the 'Third Option', I can give the example of Aidenn, an Ancient species similar to a modern day 'dragon'. Obscenely powerful, but instilled with a vast intelligence and strong sense of honour which stopped them from attempting to take over Hell the same way that Lucifer attempted to take over Heaven. There were twelve of them to begin with, but they were killed over the thousands of eons that are their lives. Aidenn himself spent several thousand years encased in a vein of gold in a cave.

Currently, three are left. Aidenn, the only male, and Sereni and Ishka, who reside in the Wood of Suicides in the Seventh Circle. They refer to each other as 'brother' and 'sister/s' yet they are not related by blood, and their race cannot reproduce.

I'm rambling now... =]

[AB]

Cool. As you already know I tried to adapt what people think of as stereotypical witches and sorcerers by trying to tie in with actual races and times from the real world. An example would be the sorcerers. They have strong ties with vikings.

I really like the whole dragon ideas - especially the fact that only three are left. It's really left me wondering whether Aidenn meets the others and whether there will be any conflict between the remaining dragons or maybe they will fight on the same side.

The Wood of Suicides in the Seventh Circle. This sounds like an interesting place as well.

Any thoughts on posting a few more bits and pieces of it. Do you have any more drawings?

Andy

[Fiona Southwell]

I have worked Sereni and Ishka into the story. They don't, and even when all of them were alive they didn't, fight amongst themselves. Their intelligence is to such a degree that they see violence as pointless. Azkel himself makes the mistake of underestimating Aidenn, and at the display of the true extent of his power late on in the book (example; making several dozen people fall to smouldering ash with a single gesture), shocks pretty much everyone. As a race, however, their powers are tied to their emotions. In anger, they are strongest, but most difficult to control.

Ah, I've drawn all my ideas of Hell (apart from the state of the Prince himself) from Dante's Inferno. The Wood of Suicides is where, obviously, suicides go. They injured themselves in life, and so in death they are denied human form, standing as tangled and thorny trees that are constantly torn at by Infernal Harpies. As the Harpies create gashes on the trees, the wounds bleed, and it is only through bloodshed that the souls trapped in the trees are allowed to speak.

I don't have any more drawings, but I probably have a few bits and pieces. I'm one of those annoying writers who will get a sudden idea for later in the story, despite the fact she's not even finished chapter one yet, and will write it. It's like playing dot-to-dot sometimes.

[AB]

The Wood of Suicides sounds like a really cool, original idea. I've not heard anything like that before. Think you're definitely onto something new there.

I was quite lucky with my first novel. Me and my ex moved to he Isle of Man and lived there for 6 months. During that time we discovered it is a beautiful place to live. The only trouble is, unless you love bike racing, golf or heavy drinking there isn't a huge amount to do. I first started reading His Dark Materials over there and decided I wanted to attempt something like that. It was quite easy for me as there are loads and loads of myths and legends on the island to get your imagination going.

Man, how did I get onto this? . . .Oh yeah, I was going to say I was lucky because I knew roughly what I wanted to happen in the end and I knew the basic back story I wanted so got hold of a few books on writing fiction and began a quick plan. This was a couple of lines for each chapter or each section I wanted to cover. From there I started fleshing it out on paper and getting more involved in the characters and it's just been refined from there. I did have some elements of writing bits and bobs from further ahead but a lot of the time I just went from start to finish. I doubt I'd be able to do that again. I find it quite difficult now to write plans. I don't know why.

[Fiona Southwell]

Plan... what is this... plan? Haha. I don't do plans. I have it all up here -taps her head- If I start trying to plan everything out I end up getting bored.

Anyways, like I said, the Wood of Suicides isn't my own original idea. It's Dante Alighieri's.

[AB]

Oh, sorry. Getting confused ; /

Thought that was your idea. I've never actually heard of that before.

I don;t know a lot about him but I've just read a fiction book in which he was a character. I recently got into religious fiction and found one called . . . hang on I can;t remember. I'll just go check

...
..
.

The Third Heaven Conspiracy by Giulio Leoni. It's very well researched.

Going off on a tangent, have you ever read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. I read it earlier this year and it was a strange one but I really enjoyed it. I think I put a review in the groups section somewhere. Might have been a group called 'Recently finished reading' or something like that. You should check it out :)

[Fiona Southwell]

My boyfriend is buying all three volumes of The Divine Comedy for me for Christmas (Inferno; Pugatorio; Paradiso) <3

Ummm... Nope I've not read that. I have heard of it though. Have you heard of a book called 'Sophie's World'?

[AB]

Yeah, I've heard of it. Couldn't have told you what it was about though. Just looked it up on Amazon. Sounds interesting. Would you recommend it? It is fiction isn't it?

[Fiona Southwell]

14th Century fiction by an Italian Poet... What I've seen of it looks amazing, and so intelligent.

[AB]

I'l have to take a look at that. I think it's really interesting to read fiction from older periods like the 14th century.

I'm definately going to have to get in bed now. Sorry, I'll have to leave you to talk to your self and rattle around here on your own until someone signs in. Sorry :(

Good to have someone here at this time of night. Will probably be abck on again tomorrow if you're about. I might post some more of my book for people to check out.

Andy

[Fiona Southwell]

-bobs her head-

I shall continue to 'rattle about' for a couple of hours. Might post something. Maybe.

Have a good sleep, mate.