How to Write Fantasy
Page 9
– Bryn’s horse
Brick
– Rodden’s horse
Del Hoff
– Captain of the Silent Bard, a fishing boat which trawls the King’s Lake and the King’s River. He is a short squat man. He wore a dark blue boot-coverall combination that Bryn had seen in the storefronts leading to the docks with a grey cotton shirt underneath sporting numerous stains. His face sported a half-week’s worth of stubbly beard of dark grey with patches of white around the chin and ears. His grey hair was bunched up under a dirty blue cap which was pulled down close to his small brown eyes. His nose was crooked and looked to have been broken half-a-dozen times, and a pipe smoked from between his thick chapped lips.
Cren Hoff
– Dell Hoff’s son and the first mate of the Silent Bard.
Edgyn’s Crew – All are well-muscled and wear tight-fitting woolen shirts and trousers of light blues and grays. Most sport either a mustache or a goatee
– Sam
– Flint
– Dilon
– Fess
– Trey
– Jal
– Conn
Yuan Jibao
– Eastern imperial representative and trade delegate on the island of Nanbo. Holds an unfavorable view toward Adjuria.
A large man sat in it, a long pipe clamped tightly between his teeth. He had dark, oily black hair, a thin black mustache and several long hairs on his chin which dangled down, although there were not nearly enough to qualify it as a beard. He had the same small facial features as the other Jongurians, but whereas they were small of body, this man was large. He had massive arms and a belly which stretched out far in front of him. His shirt was a dark blue, though faded by the sun, and he wore an equally faded grey vest over it. Both were covered in ash from the pipe he smoked.
Jurin Millos
– A mysterious Westerner who now resides in Jonguria. He is a warrior of great skill, utilizing styles from both continents.
His hair was brown and long, tied in a topknot and spilling down past his shoulders. He was clean shaven, but had many small scars spread around his face and another larger one around his throat where it had obviously been slit sometime in the past. They only added to his mysterious aura. His eyes were small and brown and piercing.
Wen Wubai
– A mysterious old man living in Jonguria. He exhibits the skills of both a great warrior, but also those of a learned scholar.
At first Bryn thought the man must be in his late-sixties or early-seventies judging by the whiteness of his hair which hung down past his shoulders, but his face also possessed a smoothness indicative of a much younger man. A large white mustache grew between his small nose and lips, the ends of which hung down in long strands well past his chin. He wore dun-colored pants and shirt made of wool with a thicker vest that was darker in color.
Zhou Lao
– A rebel mercenary group captain in Jonguria. He fights against the imperial government in the Pudong province, but has the support of some members of the imperial court, unbeknownst to the Emperor
It was obvious that Zhao was tall even sitting. He had broad shoulders and a thick neck, and the body under his close-fitting tunic and shirt were obviously well-muscled. His black hair was tied in a neat top-knot and allowed to cascade down to the back of his neck. Leisu knew that what made Grandon jump for a moment, however, was not Zhao’s body, but his face. A long scar ran from the top of Zhao’s head above the forehead and all the way down his face. It ran through the left eyebrow, shearing it in two, where it vanished behind a large eye-patch that covered Zhao’s left eye. The scar resumed its course along his cheek before disappearing off of his face an inch away from his pointed chin. Zhao had fitted his eye-patch with a large emerald which nearly matched his right eye in both color and shape. It was rare for Jongurians to have any other eye color than black or brown, and that sight alone was unnerving. But to now stare at another green eye of sorts on the patch of his missing eye made Zhao both intimidating and fearful to look upon. Leisu knew that there were few men who were able to even meet his frightful gaze, let alone hold it.
The Story Outline
Because it’s so easy to get lost in your story it’s always a good idea to have a roadmap of sorts. I can’t tell you how many times I went back to my original, and later detailed, outline to see where I needed to go next.
This made it easy for me to see the end in sight and in turn finish the novel. This approach won’t work well for everyone, and many authors think that it stifles their creativity. I will tell you that I don’t really plot out individual scenes and never dialogue. I let those things come naturally through the creative process.
Below is an example of what I did to detail my fantasy story outline:
A Detailed Story Outline
The story begins with the young peasant Bryn Fellows traveling with his uncle Halam Fiske to the capital of Tillatia, Plowdon, from a small farming village.
– It is the first time Bryn has traveled. His uncle wants to educate him in the way of politics and court life in the capital city.
Soon after arriving to court, Halam is given the task to attend court in the capital city of Culdovia, Baden, to negotiate the upcoming year’s trade deal for the provinces’ grain harvest.
– Halam sees this as an even better opportunity to further Bryn’s education, so takes him along.
The two travel along the road to the capital, discussing the different provinces and their history along the way.
– On route, they run into many different characters traveling to or from the capital, or to points anywhere in between. These characters give further information about the continent of Adjuria
Arriving in Baden, Halam and Bryn find lodgings with a friend of Halam’s, a fellow noble from Tillatia who permanently resides in the city on the provinces’ behalf.
– The two travelers learn that a trading and diplomatic exhibition is about to get underway to the Jongurian treaty-port city of Weiling.
– It is made known to Halam that he may have to represent Adjurian agricultural interests on the voyage, as the trade representative from Fallownia returned home.
Halam attends the royal court to hear the news of the exhibition. It is much more important than he was led to believe, as the diplomatic mission is to open up greater dialogue and ease travel restriction with Jonguria, something which has not been attempted for several years.
– Other groups are present at court wishing to go along, and are heard by the king.
– Envoys from Culdovia and Duldovia for the diplomatic mission.
– Soldiers from Mercentia and Allidia wishing to attend Jongurian military academies.
– Shefflin nobles to negotiate better trading deals.
It is agreed that Halam will go with the exhibition. He thinks this is too important, and perhaps dangerous, to take Bryn along, so begins preparations for him to be sent back to Tillatia.
– Bryn is able to show his usefulness, however, and persuades Halam that he would be an important contribution to the exhibition.
The group travels to Dockside in Portinia to board a ship to the island of Nanbo in Jonguria.
The ship arrives safely after many weeks at sea, and meets with the Jongurian trade and diplomatic officials.
Conclusion
Well, that’s it, that’s all I’ve got for you.
– We took a look at various fantasy world elements so you can create a great world;
– We went step-by-step through the creation of a simple world;
– We saw how covers, maps and marketing will help make your book stand out;
– We looked at one of my own worlds so you can better create your own.
I hope you got some ideas from this book, and I hope you’ll write a killer fantasy novel. Let me know if you do, and I’ll be sure to check it out. Thanks!
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About the Author
Greg Strandberg was born and raised in Helena, Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana in 2008 with a BA in History. He lived and worked in China following the collapse of the American economy. After five years he moved back to Montana where he now lives with his wife and young son. He’s written more than 50 books.
Connect with Greg Strandberg
My website on writing and Montana: http://www.bigskywords.com
My website for teachers in China: http://www.esladventure.com
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Other Books by Greg Strandberg
Fiction
The Jongurian Mission
Trouble in Jonguria
The Jongurian Resolution
The Warring States
The State of Chu
The State of Qin
Tarot Card Killer
Black Walnut
Room 223
The Hirelings
Wake Up, Detroit
Ale Quest
Nine Amusing Tales
G.I. JOE: The Dreadnoks
G.I. JOE: JOE Team-13
G.I. JOE: After Infinity
G.I. JOE: To Its Knees
Florida Sinkholes
Bring Back Our Girls
Lightning
Fire
Dulce Base
Colter’s Winter
Flight 370
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Tribes and Trappers: A History of Montana, Volume One
Write Now! 20 Simple Strategies for Successful Writing
English Rocks! 101 ESL Games, Activities, and Lesson Plans
Tarot: The Mystery and the Mystique
Write to the Top: A How To For Website Content Writing and Increasing Website Traffic
English Last: True Accounts of Teaching in China
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Priests and Prospectors: A History of Montana, Volume Two
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