(Part 3) Top products from r/fantasywriters

Hi Remett, glad you're interested in writing! I'll work on answering your questions as best as I can. Before I get started, just know that there is by no means a set answer for any of the questions you ask. The beauty of writing is everybody figures out their own way to tell their story! Here's what I've learned since studying writing in school and dabbling in long form fiction since graduating in 2014.

• Most writers talk about two styles of developing their story, there are Gardeners and Planners. Most writers fall somewhere in the middle. Gardeners will sit at a blank page and see where their mind takes them, the world will start fleshing itself out as you go. Planners will outline and world build like mad before even writing a single sentence of the actual story. I'd suggest as you start with by coming up with major plot points and then figure out how you want to connect them. When I'm home from work I'll do some digging and see if I can find the old outlining tips I had from one of my creative writing professors that I found very helpful.
  
  
• I like to think of the culture that the town, character, religion, etc. is emulating (eg: Norse, Anglo Saxon, Chinese, etc.) then look up names from said culture. From there I can get a good idea of naming conventions for that culture, or simply take a common name from it that still sounds un-Americanized.
  
  
• You're inevitably going to write in cliches and tropes when you start out writing. Don't worry it happens to everybody. My favorite quote about writing comes from Ira Glass, I've cut away most of the fluff, but the bulk of it says "Nobody tells this to people who are beginners...For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you." Here is the whole quote if you're interested. If it reads like crap, don't worry, everybody who starts out writing will have that feeling.
  
  
• I have two tips: Write and Read! And by read, I mean read everything, not just your genre you're interested in. Read everything, read crappy romance novels, read classic literature, read political thrillers. Read everything you possibly, every book has a lesson to teach a writer, even if it's something that you shouldn't do! Every day you write you're getting practice. The best artists aren't born great, they are made great through working at it regularly.
  
  A book I'd also recommend you checking out: "Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them". This book was great for teaching me what to look for in other people's writing when I read books.
  
  Let me know if you have any questions. Happy writing!

>Would you be interested in such book?

Possibly ... but speaking personally I tend to be a bit wary of stories which use multiple mythologies in the way you have described especially when not all of them are Gods (e.g. Gilgamesh, Cú Chulainn) and when they are Gods they are Gods of a very different kind from one another (e.g. Loki, and Thoth, and perhaps, again, Cú Chulainn).

I'm a bit wary of such stories because it is easy for them to:

• present different families of Gods as if they were something like national football teams (and sometimes this can lead to quite superficial national stereotypes played out through the characters);
  
• or it simply uses their names and some basic characteristics, but does not exploit the potential any further than that.
  
  It can be done well - Jo Walton and Marie Phillips have both written - in my opinion - really good novels using Gods at their core and Neil Gaiman - although I confess I'm very lukewarm about his stuff and feel that he's overrated - has also been successful with this concept.
  
  But it seems to me that it tends to work best when it's based on just one mythological pantheon such as Greek (Walton, Phillips) or Norse (Gaiman).
  
  I think if you wanted to throw all these different heroes and pantheons together I think you would have to go all out surrealist or post-modern to really pull it off.
  
  I don't mean to pour cold water on the idea - I certainly think the story you've outlined could be very good, brilliant even. But based on the concept alone, this is my initial reaction.

> … have they outlived their usefulness?

Not at all in my opinion.

> Are they too cliche to work?

Again, no - look at Robert Graves’ use of prophecy in his I Claudius and Claudius the God novels (I realise those are historical fiction not fantasy, but with the Imperial Roman setting and the belief in Gods and magic it makes compelling reading for any fan of Fantasy).

I think it’s only a cliche when surrounded by other cliches - i.e. an inexperienced or developing writer may not use it to best effect but the fault their is with the writer’s skill not the trope itself.

> Do they distract from a reader's ability to enjoy the story as it goes so they're not constantly looking to shoehorn an event into the larger prophesy arc?

Same answer as before really - I strongly recommend Graves’ use of prophecy in his I Claudius and Claudius the God novels - the narrator, the Emperor, and all the other characters live their entire lives in the shadow of various prophecies and astrological readings that they take to discover how their lives will turn out.

The way in which prophecy is interwoven into everything that happens therefore puts it right at the heart of the story and makes for a great read.

A word of caution: while /u/ProbableWalrus has succeeded in making your first few paragraphs more interesting, his version is still error-ridden. You'll need a solid understanding of grammar and punctuation if you want to get published.

I think Martha Kolln's Rhetorical Grammar would help you tremendously. It provides a thorough-but-accessible overview of modern phrase-structure grammar, favoring critical, rhetorical decision-making over rote memorization. If you're interested in something more advanced, Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style is also wonderful. Pinker is on the cutting edge of modern linguistics.

I third this. I'm Irish and all I have from my school days are a few words, and the following sentences: "An bhfuil cead agam dul go dti an leithreas?" & "Ba bhrea liom cupán tae!" (Can I go to the toilet? & I'd love a cup of tea!").

If you want to incorporate Gaelic elements, I would recommend focusing on mythology, and instead of the language, maybe use a few words here and there. Check out the writings of W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory also - they wrote during the Irish Literary Revival, and you get a real feeling of "Irishness" from that period.

Here are a few books to check out:
Writings on Irish Folklore, Legend and Myth (Yeats)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, Edited by W.B.Yeats, Social Science, Folklore & Mythology

A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend & Folklore: Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Yeats & Gregory)

Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology

Biddy Early: The Wise Woman of Clare (Biddy was a real woman, with lots of magical stories surrounding her. Apparently she could foresee things, and cure anything - all with her bottle. Even if not for world-building, I'd recommend this).

Inventing Ireland: The Literature of a Modern Nation: Literature of the Modern Nation by Declan Kiberd.

Learn grammar, then learn how to break the rules.

I've met a lot of good journalists who know nothing about grammar. However, many of them develop an intuitive sense for it overtime and make due. You might be the sort of person that can get away with this. To increase your chances of success, though, I would recommend you at least study a few books on the subject.

Skunk and White's elements of Style is a good starting point. After that, you can move on to something like Rhetorical Grammar by Koln and Gray (http://www.amazon.ca/Rhetorical-Grammar-6th-Martha-Kolln/dp/0205706754/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369411827&sr=1-1&keywords=rhetorical+grammar).

Study rhetorical devices as well. Here's a small online guide http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm

So I guess this is my moment to celebrate as my book is OUT NOW! It’s Available on amazon as an ebook or paperback. It’s Called Chaos Storm by Tarek Badr.
This has been a dream for the past 10 years and it’s finally here and I can’t be happier. Link below to check it out if you wish. I hope you all get to this moment one day and feel the way I feel. Love to all.


Paperback : https://www.amazon.com/dp/1710349786
eBook https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081TMK9BX

Robin Hobb's Farseer Books are pretty much the pinnacle for me when it comes to an assassin protagonist. Start with 'Assassin's Apprentice' if you haven't read it yet. Brilliant characterisation and great plotting.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B005JE1K9M/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541609228&sr=1-3&keywords=robin+Hobb

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I also really enjoyed Anthony Ryan's Blood Song Trilogy, especially the first book, which focuses on the young assassin in training.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Song-Book-Ravens-Shadow/dp/0356502481

I love Joe Abercrombie's fantasy noir/grimdark. It's long on swords and short on magic. If you want to emulate someone, I can't think of a better choice. He writes fully realized characters, even for his bit parts. He avoids cliches in his phrasing and dialogue, so everything seems fresh. And he does great action scenes. I think the best introduction to Abercrombie is Best Served Cold.

I think it's also important to read Mark Lawrence, starting with Prince of Thorns.

Lol don't take me too seriously. i only just picked it up and am working my way through it. I really enjoy Robert Fagles' translation

Just some basic suggestions, you can do with it what you will :)

https://www.amazon.com/Mythic-Bestiary-Illustrated-Fantastical-Creatures/dp/1844834840

https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Imaginary-Places-Updated-Expanded/dp/0156008726/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=518h-D4AR8L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR123%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=8C817F7QAQJ2BTBRMV4H

https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Mythical-Creatures/dp/B006QS5XAC

https://www.amazon.com/Giants-Monsters-Dragons-Encyclopedia-Folklore/dp/0393322114/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51mZJ7gzjvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR122%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=8C817F7QAQJ2BTBRMV4H

https://www.amazon.com/Monsterology-Complete-Book-Monstrous-Beasts/dp/0763639400/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=61GBdkOSy3L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR136%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=8C817F7QAQJ2BTBRMV4H

https://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Fairies-Leprechauns-Goblins-Encyclopedia/dp/0393317927/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=61H%2BqteBZML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR123%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=8C817F7QAQJ2BTBRMV4H

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. A personal favorite.

One of my personal favorite books is the dreaming void. it blends Space opera with high-fantasy.

Torn by is a novel about a magical seamatress whose biggest concern for much of the book is running her small business.

https://www.amazon.com/Torn-Unraveled-Kingdom-Rowenna-Miller/dp/0316478628

This might help.

Other teasers give me more information. For example, American Gods:

>Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident.

>Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible.

>He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same...

We learn about Shadow and we know he's been through some traumatic changes. His wife is dead -- we know he wasn't expecting it, since he wanted to live a quiet life with her -- and yet this isn't what turns his world upside down. What is it? And who exactly is this Wednesday?

There's a hint of conflict. I have some idea where the story's going: the coming storm that Wednesday wants to prepare for. I'm drawn in.

Now, look at yours. A thousand year old Valkyrie has been hiding in Canada for a hundred years. Someone finds her. And now she needs to deal with it. BTW: Wyld Hunt is a thing.

I don't have a good sense about the story or the characters involved. I don't know why she's hiding and why do both 1000 and 100 years should matter to me. And I really don't care. Is she trying to blend in with modern life? Like a coffee shop waitress with a warrior past? Or is she in a cabin in a woods? What draws her out of hiding, exactly? And there isn't enough hinting at what the Wyld Hunt is for it to mean anything to me.

Your excerpt drew me in much more. But I also couldn't get a sense of your writing style from it. If the entire book was written like that, I'd find it too jarring.

Not the casual first person part. But the gush of information hitting me over the head. And rather inconsistent information. Do I need to know that she claims to be from Florida now? Or that she has two names right there? And, why don't I get the name who she killed? What makes him a golden boy? And who's Lady?

The character seems cool, but she's the only thing I feel I understand.