Reader's Imagination

[Elwyn]

I've been given a great deal of assistance and recommendations from Maryn and Bufty at another post on an excerpt from my book. What I've learned from them is not to put so much detail into a story that the readers cannot use their imaginations - and write dialog so that the reader can tell if the speaker is groaning, begging, spewing, wailing, etc. IOW, use "said" as much as possible.

Example: "All no - another day at the office," groaned Elwyn.

I was wondering if anyone else had any knowledge of the psychic of avid readers and how they think when they're reading a story. You see, I don't read that much - other than technical literature.:Shrug:

[scarletpeaches]

Then my first piece of advice would be to start reading. A lot. I'm always amazed at the number of people who think they can write without doing any 'research' into what makes a good piece of fiction - namely, reading it. It's (pretty much) impossible to understand the psyche of an avid reader without becoming one yourself. You need to find out what makes a good or a bad book. If your reader reads more than you, the author, do, it shows. Your book will be thrown against the wall and forsaken for one written by someone who is familiar with the tools (and the art and craft) of his trade.

[maestrowork]

Use the five senses (show vs. tell) to help the readers imagine.

[azbikergirl]

IMO, it's not enough to read. Readers don't often notice the conventions of fiction, such as how to use punctuation within dialog, how to attribute dialog and so on. I like to study how my favorite authors put the sentences together, to make note of how much I (the reader) learn about the character or situation from the first paragraph alone, etc.

[scarletpeaches]

IMO, it's not enough to read. Readers don't often notice the conventions of fiction, such as how to use punctuation within dialog, how to attribute dialog and so on. I like to study how my favorite authors put the sentences put together, to make note of how much I (the reader) learn about the character or situation from the first paragraph alone, etc.

Of course. My point was that reading a lot is the first stage, after which one should study punctuation, grammar, syntax, dialogue attribution, etc. But writing without reading is like trying to build a house without bricks IMO.

[Elwyn]

Scarlet - but I haven't found anything I LIKE to read. I read the first of the Lord of the Rings - too slow and cumbersome. I've read two HP books - too silly. I do like fantasy and sci-fi and well done romantic movies. Can you recommend any books?

[scarletpeaches]

I'm not a fantasy reader myself, Elwyn so I can't recommend any particular books in that genre. Perhaps Amazon would help there? Still, I am very surprised that you would try to write in a genre you don't read. Maybe you're writing the wrong type of fiction? What do you read most of? What do you enjoy? Write that instead. Me? I write mainstream, as that's what I read most of. The rest of the time I read chicklit, historical biographies and true crime. I don't write fantasy simply because I don't have any interest in it, which in turn explains why I don't write it. It's just not my thing. Go to your local library and pick books up at random. See what grabs you. Then overdose on that particular genre. You need to surround yourself with the genre you write in, before you can truly know what you're talking/writing about.

[Danger Jane]

Talk to ANY successful writer. You HAVE to read. Even if you aren't reading like a writer, it all sinks in. You'll know what you like. This is where we all start. Once you couple writing with reading, you'll start reading really critically, analyzing they way the author puts sentences together, the way they describe things so that you don't want to skip the paragraph, EVERYTHING. This will all help you write.

You HAVE to read.

[azbikergirl]

Elwyn, check out this thread: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20232

I'm a big fan of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. Try "A Game of Thrones" by Martin.

[sassandgroove]

Elwyn,

I echo other posts here, why would you write something you don't read? HOW can you write something you don't read?

Some Sci-Fi/ Fantasy books I like...

Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Any of her books really)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (And the rest of the Ender series, plus a host of his other books)
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (Great, but I suggest partly because I know you are aiming for kids.)
If you thought LOTR was too combersome, you might try The Hobbit, it is the precurser to it and maybe easier to read. I read it in 6th grade, whereas I read the rest at 25.
Lois McMaster Bujold has some excellent books, too. And my AnneMcCaffrey is popular. My husband likes Terry Brooks & HP Lovecraft. There are some great Star Wars novels, too.
This only scratches the surface. Post the question in the Sci-Fi Fantasy forum on these boards, too.

[sassandgroove]

Oh! and... get Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy. It's a great tool. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158297103X/002-5615072-8970402?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

And there are some great magazines like Asimov's with short stories. I have to stop, I'll just keep going...

[Elwyn]

I do actually read stuff other than technical and business publications. I read books on theology, ancient history as it applies to the Bible, UFO news, ancient religion info, occult practices, etc.

So why would I try fantasy / sci-fi? Because since I can remember I've always been taken by the stuff - on the screen. Yes, the '50's B movies - and my all-time favorite: Forbidden Planet. It was light years ahead of its time.

With fantasy you can escape this place and create your own world. In my book, the sci-fi is mostly science fact. You'll be seeing it what I've put in the book actually happening in the very near future - and it's scary. I'm talking about bio-engineering and nanotechnology.

I've read C.S. Lewis's theology books, but not his Chronicles of Narnia. I think I'd enjoy them - if he writes better than in his, for instance, Mere Christianity - which was a VERY hard read, and from someone who already understands the points he tries to get across.

I want people that read a fantasy / sci-fi book to look out their window and wonder just how long before that stuff actually happens on this earth. I want to make them THINK. I want young people to watch TV five years from now and say, "Wow, that was in that book I read back in seventh grade!"

[sassandgroove]

It's fine that you read that other stuff, but if you want to write a ceratin genre, it is a good idea to READ it. OTher wise, what you write will end up being cliche, because you won't know it's been done before, but everyone else will. It's great that you read other stuff, it is good to be well rounded, but you need to know the genre you are writing.

[sassandgroove]

Elwyn,

For starters at why you need to read Sci-FI Fantasy to write it, check out this thread.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9341

Sass :)

[Jamesaritchie]

I

So why would I try fantasy / sci-fi? Because since I can remember I've always been taken by the stuff - on the screen. Yes, the '50's B movies - and my all-time favorite: Forbidden Planet. It was light years ahead of its time.

!"

"Forbidden Planet" was light years ahead of other movies, but it was also light years behind novels of the time. Watching movies is not a good background for writing novels. If you're really taken by stuff on the screen, you should probably be writing stuff for the screen.

The only way to know what's been done, and how it's been done, is to read wisely within a genre. Very widely. Watching movies only tells you what's been done in the movies, and anything new in a movie is probably an old cliche in novels.

[peer54]

The best way to find a book that you're going to enjoy is to head to your local bookstore and browse the sci fi/fantasy section. Read the first few pages of anything that looks interesting and, if it hooks you, buy it.

[carley]

In my opinion, I would have never been able to write any kind of fiction before I had read, oh say, three or four hundred novels. After reading so many books, it makes me able to tell whether my own writing actually has the form of a real story. I think that in some way we learn through osmosis. If you read enough you'll be able to see how stories are put together and it should be a lot easier than writing blind. Craft and storytelling will feel more natural.

Books are so much more complex than movies. In a movie, we see the scence on the big screen. In books, we have to use our imaginations to see the scene.

I guess my point is: Read! :Sun:

[maestrowork]

Take a novel-writing class.

[Peggy]

I read the first of the Lord of the Rings - too slow and cumbersome. I've read two HP books - too silly. I do like fantasy and sci-fi and well done romantic movies. Can you recommend any books?Tolkien and JK Rowling are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of fantasy. You have been given some good suggestions by others in this thread. The "Chronicles of Narnia" were among my favorite books as a youth. The "Wizard of Earthsea" trilogy by Ursula LeGuin is excellent young adult fantasy.

However, it sounds like you are more interested in something closer to science fiction than "hard core" fantasy, since it seems like you want to give technical explanations for "magic", rather than accepting magic as a real element to the world you are building.

One suggestion is Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsong/Dragonsinger Pern novels - they have "dragons", but they aren't really dragons in the magical sense. I loved those books as a teenager and I still enjoy them today.

The following are books I enjoyed as a youth and teenager (I also enjoy both the Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter books, so you can take my suggestions with that in mind):
Orson Scott Card's Enders novels (as suggested above - you can read a bunch of his work for free http://www.hatrack.com/osc/index.shtml)
Zenna Henderson, "Pilgrimage: The Book of the People" ("witches" on earth)
Panshin "Rite of Passage"
"House of Stairs" (I can't remember the author)
Madeline L'Engle, "A Wrinkle in Time"
Heinlein's juveniles (e.g., "Farmer in the Sky" and "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel")
Isaac Asimov: Foundation series and his robot novels
Frank Herbert, the first "Dune" novel
Ray Bradbury "Brave New World"
Walter Miller "A Canticle for Leibowitz" (I may be spelling that wrong)

There are lots of others, but these stand out in my mind. Most of these I read as a teenager, rather than a grade-schooler.

From your other thread on the critique board, you indicate you want an "underlying meaning" that teaches the reader. For readers to take anything away from your books, they first have to be engaged by the story, so it's important to "research" the books that your audience already enjoys. Once you start looking at a variety of young adult books (not just those made into movies), you should be able to find some that you enjoy.

From my own experience as a reader, I think it's important not to underestimate the imagination or knowledge of your audience. Even as a young reader I was put off by books that did a lot of obvious "teaching" or spelled things out too simply.

The Waterloo Library has a good compilation of lists of speculative fiction for kids (http://www.waterborolibrary.org/bklistj.htm#jspec) and young adults (http://www.waterborolibrary.org/bklisty.htm#yaspec). You might start there.

[KTC]

I love when the writer makes me, the reader, paint the picture.

[Mistook]

I think the need to explain things to the reader varies with the genre, but as I go along with the writing of my first draft, I find I'm starting not to bother with the niggling details of facial descriptions, and character thoughts. I feel I should be able to find the places where they're truly necessary in the revision process.

On the other hand, when it comes to describing environments, and rooms, I try to stay in practice with getting those pictures across in a tight paragraph. To me, that's the kind of description you can't get away from, and it takes some work to get it right. If I don't take a stab at it the first time around, I'm not going to want to fill it in later.

[Jamesaritchie]

As King says, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the tools to write."

But I think it goes deeper than this. The one thing I believe all good writers have in common is a complete, deep, and almost fanatical love of reading fiction. I'm not sure it does any good to tell anyone they should read more. If they love reading fiction, they read as much as they can get their hands on. If they don't like reading fiction, telling them to read it just isn't going to do any good.

It's said that "writers write." But fiction writers also read fiction, and usually have since they were toddlers.

[Torin]

Elwyn--if you prefer watching movies to reading books, perhaps you should be writing a screenplay instead of a novel.

[maestrowork]

Elwyn--if you prefer watching movies to reading books, perhaps you should be writing a screenplay instead of a novel.

It doesn't matter. You still have to learn the craft. Screenplays have even stricter formats and structures. Just because we appreciate a painting doesn't mean we know how to paint.

I think reading (or study the subject like painting) is important -- at least we learn to appreciate the art itself -- but I agree that you really can't learn the craft of writing (or painting) just by studying the artifact itself. Appreciating something is different than doing. I read books before I became a "writer." I never understood the craft such as POVs, show vs. tell, dialogue, character development, etc. until I actually took classes and studied. I strongly recommend every aspiring novelist learn as much as they can through books, seminars and classes.

[Maryn]

I'm a big fan of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. Try "A Game of Thrones" by Martin.I'm not even a fantasy reader, but family members twisted my arm until I gave Martin a chance.

Awesome, just awesome.

Maryn, whose license plate says HODOR

[sassandgroove]

Elwyn,

here is another reason why you need to read the genre you want to write. OTherwise your story will be about at cliche as this link.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~imcfadyen/notthenet/fantasy.htm

btw, I found it in this thread...
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13985&highlight=write+fantasy+story

thanks, sass

[Elwyn]

Well, maybe my story is not fantasy as those at the link you gave me have defined it - or tried too.

It does happen on another planet, but one that actually could exist. The latest findings show that the possibility of a life sustaining world could exist in a certain orbital band of the star system 51 Pegasi.

There's the standard cast; Elves, Gnomes and Dwarves - only because that's what people are used to - Ref: Writers Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer's Digest Books. Of course I could create my own (like Hobbits) but I don't know if fantasy readers would care for that. Or maybe I could have Pigmies, Eskimos and Aborigines.

There is no "out of thin air magic" in the story - its science. The sky is blue, the trees green, the dirt brown and gravity works their just like it does here. The living eat, drink, sleep and have to go to the can. Ale is plentiful and some like to put herb in thier pipes - no, not hash or mind altering stuff.

Everything's been calculated to the nth degree - even the map was made so that traveling times on a horse is realistic. That's why it may be called Science Fantasy - but I'm not sure about the fantasy. And, it's not really fiction because all of the science either exists or is being studied in the labs right now.

So, what do I do now?

[AdamH]

Everything's been calculated to the nth degree - even the map was made so that traveling times on a horse is realistic. That's why it may be called Science Fantasy - but I'm not sure about the fantasy. And, it's not really fiction because all of the science either exists or is being studied in the labs right now.

So, what do I do now?

Just because the science exists and you use it doesn't automatically exclude your story from being fiction. That's sort of the same thing as saying that Forrest Gump taught Elvis how to dance because of his legbraces. The legbraces alone doesn't make the whole story fact.
Actually, I'd say most fiction is based on some kind of fact in the real world. What makes fiction fiction is the story that's weaved around it. The only way your story could be anything but fiction is if you had absolute proof that there were elves, gnomes, or dwarves in the star system 51 Pegasi. And even if you had THAT, it would only be anything but fiction if you were writing a biography of one of these beings. If you write about their future, it automatically becomes fiction (or creative speculation) as there's no guarantee that it will happen.

The advice everyone's given you here is great. There's no secret to writing but there are a lot of tools that can help you understand better. Reading being one of them. I like movies and I watch them. They're great for learning story arc. But you'd have to watch a lot of movies to get out of what you can reading a novel. Unless you're writing a movie, that is. :)

If you want a great example of a book that makes you think, try "1984" by George Orwell. It may not be what you're writing but it would be interesting since it's one of those novels that seemed over-the-top in its day but, now, is a little closer to reality.

[Mistook]

The original term "Speculative Fiction" went to what we now call Science Fiction and Fantasy. I don't think there's anything at all wrong with speculating about what life might be like on another planet.

Contrary to popular opinion, speculating about life, and the fictional stories that may result, are both your perfect right to persue. There is no guarantee that you will crank out a cliche' story, just because you haven't read books in the genre that this story would likely be placed. This is especially true for fantasy, where in my opinion, 90% of the published material is nothing but tired cliche's that writers have learned from one another.

And just as a general note, I have to state again, that it sickens me a little to see the way everybody gangs up on a person who admits to not having read much fiction. None of you seem to have much problem assuring this guy that he may as well give up unless he submits to the mind police.

It's really nobody's damn business what a person reads, and it certainly shouldn't be used to pre-judge somebody's writing abilities. If all this about good writing being linked to avid fiction fandom were true, then all you'd have to do to get published is send the agent your reading list for the past ten years, correct?

I know plenty of music fans (snobs) who will never be able to write a decent song to save their lives. Same goes for comic book snobs who want to draw. Same goes for everything. All encompassing fandom of an art form qualifies you for only one thing - a seat at the next convention.

The thing that separates the wanna-be's from the actually-are's is the ability to think for ones self, and to put ones self into the work. Yes techniques must be learned, but at the end of the day, it's about being unique, and to do that, as I've said before, you have to take off the training wheels eventually and balance the bike on your own.

[Fishmonkey]

It's really nobody's damn business what a person reads, and it certainly shouldn't be used to pre-judge somebody's writing abilities. If all this about good writing being linked to avid fiction fandom were true, then all you'd have to do to get published is send the agent your reading list for the past ten years, correct?

I know plenty of music fans (snobs) who will never be able to write a decent song to save their lives. Same goes for comic book snobs who want to draw. Same goes for everything. All encompassing fandom of an art form qualifies you for only one thing - a seat at the next convention.


I believe mathematicians call it 'necessary but not sufficient' -- that is, reading widely is necessary for a writer, IMO, but it's not enough. Using your example: liking music certainly doesn't make one a musician. But how many musicians do you know who never listen to any music but compose it just fine?

Having said that, I'd like to point out that I am talking about reading fiction in general, not just one genre. I personally know a few successful romance writers who do not read romance, and mystery writers who do not read mystery. Yet, these individuals read a lot; that one thing that really seems indispensable.

[JERETHAL]

Learnin how to write a novel? Hmmmm. Some people can't even learn sex and they do it all the time. My ex STILL can't cook.

I get most of my books at used book sales for a quarter. I quit going to bookstores because they got too much self help and guru religion for me. I'd rather contemplate my own spirituality and self help motivation only lasts a few days. Publishers forgot about the entertainment aspect lately. Who wants to invest hours and hours of their life in a stupid book. When I do it, I usually go with someone I trust, like Sheldon,Ludlum,Grisham,Kellerman or Patterson.
I also appreciate it when someone slips in a few interesting little known facts that make me go "Oh, I didn't know that." Thats a thing I like to use. When I learn something interesting, I always try to sneak it into a story because i know others will appreciate it as well.

[Peggy]

I don't have any expertise beyond having read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, but from the way you describe it, it sounds like you've written a mostly "science fiction" book. You have an earthlike planet inhabited by aliens that, for lack of better terms, you've called "elves" and "gnomes". The "science" part is nanotechnology and bioengineering. My concern would be that people looking for the type of fantasy that has elves and gnomes might be disappointed, and people that primarily enjoy science fiction might be put off by what superficially looks like a Tolkienesque story.
Everything's been calculated to the nth degree - even the map was made so that traveling times on a horse is realistic. The accurate traveling times and maps don't really put your book specifically in either the science fiction or fantasy category - looking at that element alone it could just as well be a contemporary adventure story or a western.
And, it's not really fiction because all of the science either exists or is being studied in the labs right now.It's fiction until it actually gets out of the labs. Sometimes even the best ideas don't pan out.

(When you want to take a break from your WIP, you might want to check out http://www.technovelgy.com/ It's an encyclopedia of technology found in science fiction + news of science fiction "inventions" that have become reality. A interesting way to kill some time.)

[mistri]

There's the standard cast; Elves, Gnomes and Dwarves - only because that's what people are used to - Ref: Writers Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer's Digest Books. Of course I could create my own (like Hobbits) but I don't know if fantasy readers would care for that. Or maybe I could have Pigmies, Eskimos and Aborigines.


It might be an idea not to apply 'rules/standards/whatever' to fantasy. From new books I've read in recent years, few books/new authors are published if they stick firmly to old fantasy cliches. Some people successfully take cliches and make something new/fantastic out of them, but it's hard to do.

I write fantasy, and don't think I've ever written a story with elves/gnomes/dwarves. Not that it's necessarily wrong to include them, but they're certainly not a requirement.

I've read fantasy slush for Harlequin, back when they launched Luna. Not all of it was slush, even - much of it came from inhouse authors. And because they (not all, but a lot of them) read mostly romance, some of them just wrote what they thought a fantasy should be - complete with every cliched element available. I'd sigh upon seeing any book with elves/dwarves/etc, and the writing would have to be exceptional for me to see beyond that.

That's why I say - unless you're an exceptional, brilliant writer - that you have to read the genre you're writing in. Don't write what you think 'a fantasy book should be'. Instead, get to the point where you can write a fantasy book that you'd like to read, one that has something new to it.

[Elwyn]

Maryn-

I will go to the library and check out works by George R.R. Martin. Thanks!

mistri -

You said "Instead, get to the point where you can write a fantasy book that you'd like to read, one that has something new to it."

So why would I have to read a fantasy book to do what you've told me to do? I AM writing what I'd like to read. I just hope other folk will like to read them too!

[mistri]

Maryn-

I will go to the library and check out works by George R.R. Martin. Thanks!

mistri -

You said "Instead, get to the point where you can write a fantasy book that you'd like to read, one that has something new to it."

So why would I have to read a fantasy book to do what you've told me to do? I AM writing what I'd like to read. I just hope other folk will like to read them too!

That sentence has two parts to it - it's not just writing something you'd like to read, but also writing something that isn't full of cliches.

Without reading in the genre, how do you know you've written something new? From what you've said - along the lines of elves etc are requirements for fantasy - you might only be retreading old ground. And who wants to read that?

In my experience, writers who don't read fantasy often create extremely cliched fantasy worlds, destined for rejection. Some will come up with something completely original and amazing on their own. But they're the exception. Others will assume fantasy books need certain things, and they're the ones most likely to write a book that won't succeed.

(not meaning to be harsh - I haven't read your work, after all, and this is only my opinion on the subject in general)

[brinkett]

Without reading in the genre, how do you know you've written something new?
Find a beta reader or two who are avid readers of the genre.

[mistri]

Yeah, that might work too :D

I still think it helps if you have a good idea yourself, though.

[sassandgroove]

Mistook, I didn't think we were pouncing on Elwyn, and Elwyn if you got that, I apologize. I was trying to be helpful. Elwyn has been posting a lot of questions all over the forum, which I think is GREAT. I have a lot of questions too, but I am less verbal about them and lurk for answers. I think we all, but I can only speak for me, are entreating Elwyn to read more fiction becuase we want to help Elwyn succeed, and is that not the point of this forum, building each other up? NO one suggested Elwyn read but not think. The whole point is to a)enjoy the stories, b) learn what is already out there, and c) see how other authors have crafted their works, which in turn would answer some of the questions Elwyn has posted. All of these require thinking for yourself.

Elwyn, obviously this story is close to your heart. Mine is too. I know my reason for posting in this thread was to help you make your story better.

You say you don't think your story is Fantasy. As someone else here pointed out, any hard sci-fi reader is going to see the dwarves, elves,etc and pass it up while hard fantasy readers will also be disapointed with the science aspect. The middle of the roaders will probably like it though. Right now, if I were you, I would focus more on making it the best you can and worry about what catagory it belongs in later. But you said you picked "the usual cast" becuase it is a convention of fantasy. If you don't have your heart set on the characters being dwarves and elves, why not make up your own creatures. There is nothing wrong with what you have, I read it and liked it, but there is the danger that readers of the genre have their idea of what a dwarf or elf should be and won't like yours, whereas if you make up your own, you'll be the expert on the creature, and no one will have preconceived notions of how they 'should' be. I am creating a sentient species for my novel, as well as two worlds. It is a lot of fun. As I write, I have to think about big things, details, and little, from where they live, how they travel, how they dress and how they eat. How they breed, their family structure, religion. From what you said, you created a detailed physical world, why not take your scientific knowlegdge and have the fun of being a god, creating your own creatures to populate the world? I think you have a good basis for a story. I like your site, and I like your ideas, and that you are seeking knowledge and have so many ideas that you pose here. as i have said before, Keep writing :)

Sass

[victoriastrauss]

There's the standard cast; Elves, Gnomes and Dwarves - only because that's what people are used to - Ref: Writers Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer's Digest Books. Of course I could create my own (like Hobbits) but I don't know if fantasy readers would care for that.Plenty of fantasy readers are looking for something beyond the familiar fantasy themes, creatures, and characters. I know many readers--including me--who will automatically avoid a book that feaures elves, gnomes, dwarves, orcs, or any variation thereof.

- Victoria

[Elwyn]

I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions. I will definitely get rid of the Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes - and create some new life forms.

While we're on the subject, I have found that some folk always capitalize Gnomes, Dwarves and Elves - while some don't - and some do in places of their books and not in others of the same book.

According to 'grammar' rules, races are to be capitalized. What say ya'll?:Shrug:

[mistri]

You don't *have* to get rid of them - just be aware that they've been used a lot and aren't necessarily necessary :D

I didn't cap them because er... I forgot...

[reph]

I'd go with lower-case. Gnomes and such creatures are more like different species than like different races of one species. You wouldn't cap "squirrel" or "horse" in ordinary writing. Authors who use caps may be thinking of their creatures as something like sports teams: "Then the Patriots returned to their hotel and..."

[Bufty]

Write, and enjoy it all the way, Elwyn.
Kindest,
Bufty

[sassandgroove]

You don't *have* to get rid of them - just be aware that they've been used a lot and aren't necessarily necessary :D

I didn't cap them because er... I forgot...
Elwyn, you may be correct, I am just lazy. But it could be familiarity. We dont' capitalize people. In my novel, I took that idea and don't capitalize the name of my creatures, because I figure the word for them is like the word people for us. :Shrug:

EDIT: At least four people posted in the time it took me to write this. Okay, two, but jeez...

[Danger Jane]

Race means they're all the same thing. So unless g(G)nomes and e(E)lves and w(W)hatevers can all be lumped into the same category, then they aren't capitalized. If they're all basically the same thing (same species), then go ahead and capitalize them, like if they're the Gnome Tribe and the Elf tribe or something.

I'm sorry, too, if I jumped on you. I didn't mean to!

Just something you might find useful or whatever: sky is only blue because of what it's made of. If this is really a different world, it doesn't have to be blue it might be orange. And coonsequently, water'd be orange, because it's just reflecting the sky. I'm probably being redundant, sorry.

[AdamH]

Just to piggy-back on what was just said...if this is a completely different world, why would they capitalize the same way we do? Maybe they capitalize the second letter (like gNome, or eLves). Just shootin' from the hip. :guns:

But to answer your question: I don't think the word "human" is capitalized but American (or Canadian) is. I think pretty much everyone said that above in their own words.

[pianoman5]

Had a look at your website, Elwyn. Nice job, too--you’ve obviously thought carefully about your world and are well on the way to capturing it in words.


I don't read much Fantasy, so I know nothing, but something in your front page blurb did rankle with me:



The planet Altara suffers the same fate as what many scholars believe happened to the Earth thousands of years ago. A Shangri-la is secretly invaded by small group of exiles that use their superior intellect to unleash unthinkable horrors on the planet’s inhabitants.

This is a bit of a backhanded dig at education. One of the reasons why enlightened governments bother to educate the great unwashed is a belief that learning makes the people less brutish, and possibly even sophisticated enough to vote for them. ‘Superior intellect’ is meant to be ennobling, leading individuals to finer thoughts and altruism rather than 'unleashing unthinkable horrors'.

Therefore, if you’re aiming for a YA audience, perhaps it would be more PC to play down the association of “intellect” with “evil”? Smart kids (or kids with glasses, which make them look smart) already get beaten up at school, and you wouldn’t want to support the ignorance-as-virtue position of the perpetrators, because those ba****ds don’t even buy books.

Also, I didn’t realise that ‘many scholars’ believe this is what has happened on Earth. Although, if it’s true that we have been invaded by aliens with unkind motives, it does explain the existence of conceptual art, rap music and American beer.

P.S. Your illustrator has done a great job with the Princess. I love the exposed thighs, the kinky boots, and the strategically placed triangle of fabric dangling over the groin area. V. tasteful. Real princesses please take note – this is how you should dress when confronting evil intellectuals.