Trying a different approach to writing

MuseMart » The Writing Room

Trying a different approach to writing

(31 posts)

12 3 Next »

Gumshoe
The Duck

So, I've come up with a different way of trying to write a story. Instead of writing the whole thing out start to finish, in a straight line, I'm going to jump around a bit.

No, not that kind of jumping. I think I'm going to write a bunch of scenes, vignettes that will give me a chance to flesh out the world and put bits of story into place without tying me down to a linear storyline. I can then piece them together and fill in any gaps there may be. Hopefully it'll work. Whenever I come up with one I think I'll post it here, for criticism and general consideration.

Posted 2 years ago #
Audrey
Head Muse

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

Ok, so I'm trying to create a fantasy world from scratch, and I'd like some advice/opinions. Usually this wouldn't present much of a problem, but I'd like this fantasy world to have a sort of modern feel.

Imagine a world in which magic is prevalent, though the ability to use it varies from person to person. Then imagine that world evolving from the usual medieval type society to something similar to today's level of development. How would it look? Where would technology be? What things would be similar to what we have today, and what would have a magical equivalent? Would the world just remain technologically stagnant?

I'm aware that Turtledove did something similar in a book series of his... world in darkness, was it? I can't remember right off the top of my head. Some of that I thought was interesting, though I'd like to do something a bit different.

To give you an idea, the basic setup is supposed to be for the characters to be "x-files" types... members of a government organization that investigates weird things. And weird things are around in bunches, because the world is old. Several societies have risen and fallen before the current one, leaving behind relics and monsters and what have you. I also fancy the idea that occasionally magic produces unintended side effects, thus giving the characters more to investigate.

My main concern, I suppose, would be weaponry... would there be gunpowder slugthrowers or some sort of magical equivalent, like wands or some such? Or would there be both? Honestly I'm trying to steer away from wands, though I'm not sure what sort of magical equivalent I could come up with that isn't a wand in some form.

Also, modes of transportation would be important. A sort of steampunk approach to vehicles sounds appealing, since I doubt cars would be around. And I sorta want to avoid doing the modern world with magic laid on top of it. What do you guys think?

Thanks for any ideas!

Posted 2 years ago #
Tensen01
Member

Hmmmm I find it really hard to think aboutthis without arriving at an Eberron or Iron Kingdoms type setting... Or even a Shadowrun.

I do think that technology might attrofie for a while... and I get the sense that the blue-collar, working class people would be the MOST magically compitent, and the rich, industry magnates being those with little skill.

Hmmmm This is actually kinda interesting trying to think of this without taking into account what our Technological revolution was like... and where we are.

The big question how much can magic do? Does it have limits? weaknesses?

And an even bigger question... How long has magic been around? Have it been with this world since before recorded history of was it something that was released more recently? because I don't see any society that's had easy-to-use, reliable magic to use in any walk of life for as long as they remember building ANY industry that wasn't powered, wrought, and controlled with magic.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

My thinking, currently, is that magic has been around since before recorded history. I hadn't really nailed down the limits/weaknesses inherent in magic. For how magic works, I was thinking of departing from the 'magical energy field' that people draw upon; I was going to go more for a layout in which there are various plains or dimensions which sometimes intermingle. Whenever you use magic, you're actually drawing from one of those other dimensions and using it to subtly alter the rules of the dimension you're in, in a limited capacity. Which is why magic can have unintended consequences and unforeseen side effects.

How that effects the spell caster, and whether or not there's some sort of physical drain on a spell caster, I'm not sure yet. There would almost have to be, I think. Perhaps you have to build up a tolerance to the stresses involved as you get more skilled.

To get really good at it you probably have to study it for a long time, in addition to having a natural aptitude for it. And creating new spells, or even setting up known ones, takes effort and preparation. Because you really don't want to see what happens when you get it wrong. Magical research, I'm thinking, is probably a dangerous affair. But since it's been around for so long, it's developed to a fairly advanced level about now.

That's just the current working idea, though, I'm willing to change and modify as things go along. Especially if anybody has any interesting ideas.

Posted 2 years ago #
LEGIOXIII
Member

If you had read Hell's Gate when I loned it to Audrey you would have had an excellent example of a society that had developed with magic contrasted with one that had developed technology similar to ours. The Arcanans regared thier magic as technology and were compleatly baffled by technology that was not based on "Arcane principles". At the risk of sounding like Clark(RIP), magic is technology and must be judged as how well it can be used to accomplish various tasks compaired with other types of technology.

I think the key questions you need to answer are:

1: How effective is magic compared with other available technologies at performing various tasks?

2: How much easier or more difficult is it to develop new applications for magic as opposed to other technologies?

3: How widespread is the ability to use magic?

4: How easily can those who are able to use magic produce magical objects that are useable by those who have no magical ability?

The answers to the above questions will lead you to the solutions to your specific dilemas.

Posted 2 years ago #
Audrey
Head Muse

I agree with Legios there ( ) - I think a lot of his questions are the same I was trying ineffectually to ask you last night.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

Hmm, I remember seeing that one. Had I tried reading it, though, I'd probably still have it. Nowhere near as fast as Aud when it comes to getting through books.

On a side note, we need a better razz emote. The current one just looks... odd.

Anywho, I like those four guidelines. Now I just need to sit down and come up with answers to them.

Posted 2 years ago #
Audrey
Head Muse

I am open to suggestions on the razz smiley.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

Right, so about that damnable "writing" thing.

I ran into a bit of a roadblock when it comes to vehicles in this goram fantasy world. I like the steampunk approach, so I'm trying to think of different types of vehicles that could stand in for cars/trucks. Something to transport people on a small scale, like a fantasy Model-T, and something larger for transporting goods and materials.

Something that vomits steam, walks on mechanical legs as opposed to tracks or wheels... though there may be variants that use tracks/wheels. For now I may just keep it vague, but I'd like to come with something more concrete later. Huzzah for the draft and revision process, no?

Anywho, today's vignette: Goin' to Bugtown.

----

"So would you mind telling me where we're headed?" Vianka asked as the two made their way through the crowded midday street. A cargo hauler trundled down the road beside them, gears whirring loudly. Lyton waited patiently for it to pass.

"Bbugtown," he answered casually, as if there was nothing wrong with two simply taking a stroll into one of the shadier parts of town. "There's a Chardik down there I want to have a word with."

"You think one of those grubsuckers knows something about the murders?" She didn't bother to hide her skepticism. Chardik, as a rule, kept to themselves. It was rare for them to congregate outside of their native lands, and when they did they always clustered together to carve out their own little niche - a Bugtown. And even then they did their best to keep out of trouble. While the kingdoms of humanity were technically open to anyone of any race, the reality was that most humans just didn't react well to intelligent beetles about a head taller than they were.

"What I think," Lyton said as he carefully surveyed a cross street for incoming traffic, "Is that those circles we keep finding have some really weird symbols thrown in. Definitely not your typical runic language. I ran it by Books, but he couldn't place them."

"So it's something obscure," Vianka argued as they crossed the cobbled street. "We run into that from time to time. Some cultist gets his hands on something out in the ruins, next thing you know he's using an runic alphabet that was dead two civilizations ago. It'll just take Books some time to look it up, that's all."

"Yeah," Lyton shook his head, "I dunno. Something about them just seems... off. Too different, even from the demonic texts we've seen."

"Ok, even so. What makes you think a Chardik would know anything about it?"

"This particular Chardik is a shaman," he explained. "If these symbols have anything to do with their magic, he'll know."

"Then let's bring him in," Vianka suggested. "We can do that you know, us being law enforcement authorities and all."

"You ever seen a pillbug, Vi?"

Vianka raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. Played with 'em as a kid. Why?"

"You remember what happens when you pick one out of the dirt? It rolls up as tight as it can." Lyton curled his fingers into a fist as a visual aide. "I'd rather not have this bug roll up on me."

"Nice metaphor," she said with a sarcastic smile, "You practice that one?"

Lyton laughed, but didn't answer. It wasn't long before the two reached their destination. It wasn't Bugtown, for that was too far away to reach by foot. Instead they'd made their way to a transit station, where they'd take one of the 'peeds, the magically powered mass transit system that was starting to become popular in the larger cities. A series of rounded compartments, called pods, were strung together to form the 'peeds, each filled with rows of seats for passengers. Most were made of wood and inlaid for decoration. Split doors allowed access to each compartment, one half folding up and the other, with a set of stairs built in, folding down to touch the ground. The whole contraption floated about a foot off the ground, and went wherever the caster in the front compartment told it to go. Lyton wasn't sure about the specifics but he did know that the things strictly followed a series of metal rails that had been set into the center of the city's streets. He assumed the metal was imbued with magical energy somehow, and he strongly suspected that there were levitation runes etched onto the undersides of the compartments.

Some people found the 'peeds unnerving, either because the things resembled their namesake centipedes or because they just didn't like not being in control of where they were going. Lyton, for one, was happy to use them. It meant he didn't have to walk, and he wouldn't have to try piloting one of those contraptions they let people loose with on the streets. Best of all, because he was law enforcement he didn't have to pay the five copper fee when he and Vianka boarded.

"Everybody settle in!" the caster at the front called out, and moments later they were on their way to Bugtown, the city sliding by ever faster on the other side of the window.

----

So... yeah. There it is. More tomorrow, hopefully.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

I haven't actually come up with a name for the organization these guys are working for... I've been thinking of something like "Department of Magical and Occult Investigations", but I'm not sure just yet. So for the moment it'll just be "the Department".

I also don't know how far I oughta go in distancing this world from reality, specifically when it comes to things like days of the week. I could easily make up new names for "Monday" or "Thursday", but I don't want to throw too much of a curveball to any potential readers. They may not pick up on it, unless I create some sort of index of terms. And I feel like that sort of thing sorta makes reading the story an effort rather than entertaining.

Today's vignette: A New Partner

----

To say Lyton Aeros was unhappy with his new partner would have been stating the obvious. It wasn't that he disliked her personally... hells, he hadn't even met her yet. It was just, well, she was a woman. Admittedly that sounded sexist even as he said it to himself. But it was a gut reaction, something that welled up from somewhere deep inside and and rejected the idea. He didn't have a problem with women doing the job in general.

With the King's push for equality over the last few decades it had actually become normal to see women joining organizations like the Guard, not to mention non-humans, though they were still rare.

It all boiled down to the circumstances of the partnership, he supposed. Officers in the Guard were always paired, and that carried over to the Department. Only in the Department, it wasn't any two people. One was a Wand, a magic user. The other was a Shield, someone who's focus was on more traditional weaponry. Wands could do powerful things, if they needed to... and in Lyton's line of work, that was disturbingly often. The problem was they needed to get extremely focussed to cast their spells, rendering them more or less unaware of their surroundings, and that left them vulnerable. Shields were there to make sure Wands didn't die during that period of vulnerability.

Lyton was a Wand. To have a woman as his Shield, ready to risk serious bodily harm and even death to protect him while he cast a spell... well, it should have been the other way around. Call it primal male instinct, or the afore mentioned sexism, but it just wasn't right. Oh, he knew female Shields existed. He'd even met a couple, and at the time he'd been just fine with the idea. Now that it related directly to him it was different.

He'd taken his concerns to the chief, of course. And, of course, it hadn't done him any good. "Department policy," he'd said, "You know that. Nobody gets to choose their partner when it comes time for rotation. If you absolutely can't work together, you can file transfer papers." Transfer papers. Right. He couldn't put those in for a week, and then unless things were really bad he couldn't expect a decision for another week at the least. Which meant he was stuck with a woman as his Shield. Well, who knew. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad...

----

Shorter than the last one, but there it is. Maybe I'll make up for it with a longer one tomorrow.

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

... Or I could post nothing at all. See how well that worked out?

*ahem*

Moving on...

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

So yeah, here's a little something. Looks like smaller posts are the norm. Not sure what I think about it... characters, and character interaction, have never been my strong point. Unless they're stiff, emotionless Imperial officers. That I've got covered.

Vignette: Vianka

----

Lyton felt the presence of somebody standing in front of his desk. Perhaps it was the change in lighting, or the slight difference in the way the sound was reaching his ears, but he didn't have to look up from his paperwork to know somebody was there. He let them stand there, scribbling notes on a spare sheet of paper before turning to a new page. Perhaps, if he studiously ignored them, they'd go away. "Hello," they said. So much for that plan.

Lyton looked up. Standing in front of his desk was, he assumed, his new partner. He certainly didn't recognize her from around the station. She wasn't bad looking, he thought, and then wondered whether or not that was an appropriate thing to think about a partner. She was of moderate height, slim build, with black hair falling to her shoulders and green eyes that held his with ease. She was about Lyton's age, with just about the palest skin he'd ever seen. This? he thought. This was the woman who he was supposed to trust his personal wellbeing to? She looked like he could take her down without breaking a sweat, and he wasn't exactly the biggest guy in the Department.

"Oh, don't feel the need to stand up," she said after a moment's silence. "Or, you know, introduce yourself."

It was hard to miss the sarcasm, the bluntness of which was like a smack in the face. "Lyton Aeros," he said thoughtfully as he stood. "Sorry, you just took me by surprise. I was in the middle of some absolutely fascinating case files." His deadpan was a measured counter to her sarcasm, though he couldn't stop the beginnings of a smile from taking hold. She certainly wasn't the passive type.

"Well, they told me this place would be interesting," she said with an answering smile. "Name's Vianka Domari. Let me guess... I'm not exactly what you were expecting?"

"Well..." Lyton thought about lying, then figured if she already knew he might as well get it out there. "No, honestly. Not really."

"Don't let me fool you," she cautioned, "I can more than hold my own. Ever heard of Kass-et?"

"The martial art?" Lyton was familiar with the fighting style, though only in passing. It was an import from some of the eastern kingdoms, more the stuff of stories than anything actually practiced as far as he was concerned.

"At my last station, I taught a class on it," she said with a touch of pride.

Somehow, he couldn't see Vianka teaching a class in physical combat. His skepticism must've shown, because she rolled her eyes. "Look, they wouldn't have let me in if I didn't know how to keep myself - and my Wand - alive. Trust me, you're in good hands. Now, where's my desk?"

"Over here," Lyton gestured to the desk beside his. "Make yourself at home..."

Posted 2 years ago #
Gumshoe
The Duck

Because I feel zombies have thus far been underrepresented in my vignettes...

Vignette: Counter Attack

----

The sky burned. Clouds roiled across the sky, restless and oppressive. Fingers of energy crackled amongst them, seeking outlet. Occasionally one would ground itself, leaping from the clouds to strike the ground in a thunderous roar. But this was no mere lightning. It was arcane run-off, magical static from the column of energy that towered into the sky, disappearing through the clouds and bathing the land in an ominous blood red light. It's point of origin was somewhere near the center of the city, amongst the ruined towers that had once been the pride of Clarion's central district.

Lyton glared at the column of energy, willing it to sink back to earth and smite whoever had been fool enough to call it forth in the first place. His efforts did nothing but give him a headache, of course, but he felt that he should try anyway. "It's not your fault," Vianka said from somewhere behind him. "None of us saw this coming. Nobody in the Department..."

"We knew something was going on," Lyton countered. "We had all the clues. Everything we needed, staring us right in the face. We just didn't figure it out in time. I'd call that our fault." He turned, surveying the activity around him. The Department had recovered from the initial shock of the portal opening with surprising speed, and now they were ready for a counter attack. Every agent from every field office within range had been called in. It would be the biggest operation in recent memory. Problem was, they still weren't certain what to expect. Every agent who'd been in sight of the thing at the time of the incident had failed to report in. Every agent sent in to scout it was never heard from again. Every attempt at scrying backfired, usually to the detriment of the agent attempting it. And forget eyewitness accounts from civilians, if you could find one. Which you couldn't.

Of course, going up against the unknown was what the Department was all about. They just didn't usually go about with so much firepower. One hundred fifty agents, give or take, were prepared to push forward into the center of the city. Seventy five teams, divided into strike groups, all willing to do whatever it took to reach the portal and close it.

The commander of Lyton's strike group, a Lieutenant named Solberg who usually did desk duty, stepped forward. He held a crystal ball in one hand, the ethereal communications device still glowing faintly as the spell expended the last of it's energy. "It's time," he told the assembled agents. "Shields, remember you're not just watching your own wands on this one. Keep an eye out on everybody. Wands, if we run into anything you fry it first and ask questions later. Move out, keep it slow and steady."

As a rule, the Department was not used to large scale actions. Despite this, the agents did a remarkably good job at keeping some semblance of formation as they made their way into the outskirts of the city. The shields, used to sticking close to their charges, had mostly moved forward. A handful guarded the sides, while an equal number had fallen back to protect the rear of the formation. Things were quiet as they made their way past abandoned buildings, doors left swinging open in the breeze. No surprise there. Everybody except the Department and the Guard had fled as soon as the portal had opened, throwing it's magical shock wave across the landscape.

The Guard... Lyton had to give the poor bastards credit. Despite the fact that whatever they were up against was magic and powerful, the Guard had thrown themselves at it wholesale even as the Department tried to regroup and figure out a plan of action. As far as Lyton knew, none of them had ever come back.

He watched Vianka move through the street ahead of him, sword out and at the ready. At every intersection she paused, cautiously glancing around the corner before moving on. To her, every open door, every alley was a place for an enemy to hide. Every other shield was doing the same, casting glances back over their shoulders as they moved to make certain the wands were still accounted for. Every five minutes or so, Solberg's crystal would fluoresce, and he would listen for a second before saying the same thing: "Nothing yet. Continuing forward."

Pressure mounted the further into the city they got. It wasn't just nervous anxiety, either, though that was certainly rising. As they moved forward Lyton noticed that the air seemed heavier, thicker somehow. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck began to stand on end. The wands cast nervous glances at one another. If the magical field was this strong already, just imagine the energy backwash at the mouth of the portal itself...

Halfway to the portal, they reached one of the open air trade markets that dotted the city. Shop stalls and displays had been strewn all across the open square, courtesy of a 'peed that had derailed and come barreling through. It's wreckage lay in a splintered mass where it had slammed into one of the more permanent buildings. And here, at last, they saw what had become of the citizens who hadn't gotten away. Corpses littered the square. Some were broken and bloodied, victims of the derailed 'peed. But some, curiously, had no outward signs of violence.

"Cordon off the square," Solberg ordered. Lifting the crystal, he muttered under his breath. It flashed to life, glowing steadily as he spoke. "This is Solberg, group four. We've found civilian casualties at a marketplace, approximately two dozen dead. One of the 'peeds tore right through here, though, so there's probably more than that in the wreckage." He paused, and though Lyton couldn't hear anything other than Solberg's side the the conversation, he could tell from the Lieutenant's expression that this was not the first discovery of it's kind. "Those that weren't obviously killed by the 'peed seem to have been killed by magical means. We - hey!"

Solberg's exclamation was echoed by several shields. A distance away, up one of the streets, something was moving. First it was one, then another, and another, until a whole group was headed down the street towards the market. Other shields raised the alarm - more figures were appearing on other streets. They kept their distance, seeming to huddle tentatively just at the edge of sight. Before long, every street leading into the market was filled with hesitant crowds. Solberg muttered into his crystal all the while, relaying information to the Department command post.

For a moment, it seemed as if they would simply be content to stay there. Then they started to move. As if on some unseen signal, they all pushed forward together. It wasn't long before it became clear who, and what, they were. Some were dressed in the uniform of the Guard. Most wore the clothes of everyday people. One or two wore the Department's unique protective vest. All had dull, lifeless eyes, pale gray skin, and the uncoordinated lurch so characteristic of the undead.

"Zombies," Solberg said, not noticing that the glow in his crystal had just flickered and died. "Circle!" he shouted, "Form a circle! Wands in the center, shields on the outside! Move!"

"Crap," Lyton muttered, running for the center of the coalescing defensive formation. There was no way this got good. One or two Zombies was easy pickings. A whole swarm was a real problem, especially when they had you surrounded. usual procedure was to fight your way through before they got too thick, get some distance and then go from there. This time it wasn't an option, and all they could hope to do was kill them until help arrived. If it ever did...

----

Bah. I'm not satisfied. Too wordy, too stiff. Needs to flow better. Probably need to go in and write some of that from Vianka's point of view, too. On the upside, it's long, so it makes up for the days when I posted nothing. Or something like that.

Posted 2 years ago #
Audrey
Head Muse

Hmmm. I liked it. Tweak away, but interesting anyhow.

Posted 2 years ago #