  Fantasy
This week: Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.
-Albert Einstein
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
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Movie Musings
The Fantasy genre, in its broadest sense, incorporates any writing that deals with a universe significantly different from our own. So here, I'm going to talk about some things that aren't "Fantasy" in the strictest sense (swords, sorcery and epic battles versus evil).
I went to see the Watchmen movie when it came out. I'm not here to do a review of the movie; at this point, you've either seen it or you haven't; if you have, you either liked it or you didn't. Last month, I did a newsletter on alternate worlds; Watchmen falls square into that category, set in an alternate mid-1980s in a world where costumed adventurers actually happened.
Watchmen, as I'm sure you all know, was originally a graphic novel - a comic book. Comic books, for the most part, have been about costumed adventurers - superheroes, as it were. The superhero genre is, usually, a subset of science fiction - but, again, they give us a universe different from our own. (Yes, there are significant comics that aren't in the superhero genre. Neil Gaiman's Sandman comes to mind.)
So anyway, while waiting for the movie to start, we had to endure several previews. One of the more bearable trailers was for the upcoming Star Trek prequel.
I was too excited about the movie to think about this then, but afterward, I got to musing about Star Trek. As we all know, that universe began in the mid-60s when Gene Roddenberry had an idea for a show about ethics set in a space travel situation. This means that Star Trek has been around for over forty years - TV series, comics, books, technical manuals, movies and, of course, fandom.
So I decided to dig back into my collection of Star Trek DVDs (I have the original series, the almost-forgotten and non-canonical animated series produced in the early 70s, The Next Generation and all the movies in my collection). I've been viewing TNG episodes, because I haven't seen those as many times as I've seen the original series. Partly for entertainment, but also because, as a writer, I'm trying to get to the essence of what made that universe so popular.
And I'm not sure, yet. I like it because it puts humans in what would be, to us, strange situations, and portrays their reactions. That's a staple of science fiction; in fact, I'd argue that this is a big part of what defines science fiction.
Also, Roddenberry chose a literally unlimited setting for his creation. The entire galaxy - actually, the entire universe - is at the disposal of the writers of Star Trek. There are worlds with no life; worlds with intelligent life; worlds with societies far advanced beyond our own; worlds with primitive societies. Life, in the Star Trek universe, is everywhere, and takes on myriad forms.
It is a setting in which, without reservation, anything is possible, and we are constrained only by their own imaginations.
May we all be that unconstrained with our writing.
And the Enterprise was built IN SPACE, dangit! What the heck is that drydock doing in the middle of Iowa? |
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Last month, I went over the basics of creating an alternate world for your stories.
Sticktalker  : I quote: Also a big thanks to Sticktalker who sent me comments via email on this month's "alternate worlds" topic before I even wrote it.
That's because in MY world, you had already written this months column. :)
That's interesting. In MY world, I'm a rocket scientist and rock star.
istvanjanos: Hi. I'm a new writer, and I was wondering if you give me tips on how to properly describe my world?
That's way too big a topic to cover in a comment section. A few brief guidelines: Don't try to describe everything at once; rather, weave descriptions into your narrative. Further, when describing, use all five senses - more, if appropriate. I suggest writing and posting your stories, then getting specific feedback from other authors on Writing.com.
esprit  : Good NL, Robert. One of my favorite choice of storylines is that of the parallel world - Present time. I wish there were more of them written on the site.
Hear that, everyone? Get going 
Poplar : Loved this newsletter with the alternate words! I guess it's kinda like a "V" the different choice on the point, and as time progresses they grow further and further apart. A very interesting concept that I hadn't considered before. Thanks 
Yes, and a seemingly minor change could have far-reaching consequences. Look up "Chaos Theory."
nnanyl: In my experience worldbuilding can be difficult because of your enthusiasm for the project. All these little details come to you, then need reasons, then more details, then more reasons, then more details, then more reasons. Why is this world like this when it could have been like that? Does their dialect have a multitude of b sounds as compared to, say, v sounds. It can all get quite complicated, but I wouldn't worry to much! That is what reviews and revision are for!
Excellent point! All the worldbuilding in the world (heh) won't save you if you don't have good plot and characterization. It'd be like building a set on a soundstage and then running out of budget for actors.
And that's it for this week! Until next time,
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Fantasy: March 18, 2009 Issue [#2953]
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