Fantasy: November 15, 2023 Issue [#12274]
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 This week: Long Form Fantasy
  Edited by: Robert Waltz Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage. A short story is a photograph; a novel is a film.
         —Lorrie Moore

Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I'm always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it's very shocking to the system.
         —Flannery O'Connor

There is no end
To what a living world
Will demand of you.

         —Octavia E. Butler


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

So, you've created a universe.

Maybe you've spent many years working on it, building settings, societies, factions, individuals. Maybe you just write your story and these things sprout from that. Either way, there it is, in its potentially infinite glory, just idling after the story's done.

There's often a temptation, then, to take it further. Tolkien did, following up a short novel with a longer trilogy. The many people working on Star Wars expanded on the original universe. Fantasy in particular is known for long, epic series, though it's certainly not the only genre to do those.

Sure, you can do it... but should you?

The short answer is: if you still have stories to tell, sure.

The long answer isn't much longer. As with anything, it's helpful to consider the pros and cons.

On the plus side, you already have characters, settings and other pieces, so you don't have to reimagine them from scratch. Readers, too, often appreciate revisiting a familiar place and seeing old friends.

Maybe not so positive, though, is that the more you work in a particular universe, the more stuff accumulates that you need to keep track of, or continuity errors and other discrepancies start to proliferate. You also risk eroding the sense of mystery and wonder that readers/viewers enjoyed so much the first time around, as more and more things are explained or detailed.

But a good story can make us overlook picky contradictions, and as long as you don't explain everything, there can always be a sense of mystery.

The real danger would be starting to milk a cash cow for all it's worth, but that would mean you made some money off it to begin with, which I think most of us would agree would be a nice problem to have.


Editor's Picks

Some reading material:

 
Rewind Open in new Window. [18+]
Chara's plans never work out well. Until now.
by ⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites Author Icon


 Indigo Hollow Open in new Window. [E]
A remote place.
by Zarek Author Icon


 Lost Within a Dream Open in new Window. [E]
Sonnet - A brief encounter in a dream with a trapped Angel that seems something more...
by CHarris Author Icon


 Fantasic Zombie Open in new Window. [18+]
dark dreamscapes octoberfest 2021 week 2 entry
by Pumpkin Spice Sox Author Icon


 A beginning... Open in new Window. [E]
Based on a game I play. No copyright infringement. Names are those of folks I play with.
by Averren Author Icon


 Grave Appearance Open in new Window. [13+]
Cramp Winner: Under a spell, Terric has to find out how to escape a soul thief!
by Than Pence Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

 
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Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Ask & Answer

Last time, in "On the SurfaceOpen in new Window., I touched on the history of writing.


Elfin Dragon-finally published Author Icon: Did you know the story of King Arthur most likely came from the Epic of Gilgamesh?

         I wasn't aware of any connection, but it makes sense.


A comment on my editorial from April, "Artificial IntelligenceOpen in new Window....

Elfin Dragon-finally published Author Icon: Before the iconic "The Day the Earth Stood Still – U.S., 1951" and "2001: A Space Odyssey – U.S., 1968", four other films were made. "Metropolis – Germany, 1927","Der Herr der Welt (The Master of the World) – Germany, 1934", "The Invisible Boy – U.S., 1951", and "Alphaville – France, 1965"

         Well, I haven't seen all of those... yet.


And from back in February, "TimeOpen in new Window....

Elfin Dragon-finally published Author Icon: I love the "problem" of time. Science Fiction's problem with traveling at light speed, tackling black holes, and string theory. Fantasy can often do whatever it wants, but tries to stay within some limits. But I go with the theory that time really is an illusion.

         If time is an illusion, then so is space, and everything in it, because they're all part of the same continuum. This makes the definition of "illusion" somewhat problematic.


So that's it for me for November! See you next month. Until then,

DREAM ON!!!



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