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sucre'd fiend, I
(new)
Jan 14, 2015 06:27AM
Share tips in regards to settings.
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About historical settings in any sort of writing, including stories and roleplays:
DON'T USE A HISTORICAL SETTING UNLESS YOU KNOW THE HISTORICAL ERA WELL AND ARE WILLING TO FURTHER RESEARCH IT. So many people abuse history because "omg wwii so cool" or "wow French Revolution #lesmis". If you're going to use a historical setting, research it. Otherwise you are doing yourself, everyone else, and, more importantly, history a disservice.
Take the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, for example. Clare obviously took great care in doing historical research and making her characters actually act like people from the nineteenth century. And it pays off. It doesn't seem out of place. It works.
The thing is, if you're not going to do the research for history then you probably don't respect or understand it... which should make you seriously reconsider using a historical setting.
DON'T USE A HISTORICAL SETTING UNLESS YOU KNOW THE HISTORICAL ERA WELL AND ARE WILLING TO FURTHER RESEARCH IT. So many people abuse history because "omg wwii so cool" or "wow French Revolution #lesmis". If you're going to use a historical setting, research it. Otherwise you are doing yourself, everyone else, and, more importantly, history a disservice.
Take the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, for example. Clare obviously took great care in doing historical research and making her characters actually act like people from the nineteenth century. And it pays off. It doesn't seem out of place. It works.
The thing is, if you're not going to do the research for history then you probably don't respect or understand it... which should make you seriously reconsider using a historical setting.
Sʜᴀʜᴅɪᴀ { محب الكتب } wrote: "And food. Cut down on food, scenery, and clothing description - maybe not scenery, but definitely the other two."sᴄᴏᴏᴛ wrote: "Add-in: same with the wardrobe ; i get dela cruz's view point when she newly started but seriously don't start brandizing all those clothes w/ detail, it takes away the focus. and the focus should ..."
Game of Thrones lol
But seriously like I'm about to say down there, stuff like that can be written but not included. I feel like I'm the only one who writes and has like a whole other story full of information I wanted to include but kept to myself.
Sʜᴀʜᴅɪᴀ { محب الكتب } wrote: "Top tip: don't spend too much time world building (esp. in fantasy) - you're writing a story, not an encyclopaedia."
I disagree with this 99%
Take Tolkein for example. That world building. He DID make encyclopedias of his world and history, and he probably spent days and weeks or whatever doing world building in whatever way.
So I say, yes, spend forever world building, ESPECIALLY in fantasy. Never stop in fact, even when you're writing.
I nearly always spend the majority of my time world and character building; I've set up and drawn out full blueprints of houses, apts, maps, etc.. 3/4 times I end up dropping the story completely and use the world at a later point, but if I've fallen in love with the world I've made I stick with it.ah, gotta love fiction-writing.
Hm... Okay, I probably suck at giving advice, but--
I write about my surrounding. I write a scene, for example, about this person and that person, spending time at some kind of restaurant, I will write that at the restaurant. I once wrote a scene at police station, I literally went to a police station to write. (Don't ask what was my excuse when I came there)
Oh, and when I'm trying to describe a certain place that I've never been to, I use the street view from google maps.
My trick is, be like a wind, be everywhere, know every place, watch everyone. More references, more settings diversity.
I write about my surrounding. I write a scene, for example, about this person and that person, spending time at some kind of restaurant, I will write that at the restaurant. I once wrote a scene at police station, I literally went to a police station to write. (Don't ask what was my excuse when I came there)
Oh, and when I'm trying to describe a certain place that I've never been to, I use the street view from google maps.
My trick is, be like a wind, be everywhere, know every place, watch everyone. More references, more settings diversity.
