History

A lot of fantasy tales show signs of a history as elaborate as our own, and there are many that show off records of it. Scrolls and heavy books, mostly. An occasional mystic or oracle, but we're trying to focus on the written word, here.

Who are the people who read such things out of pure curiosity or pleasure? I'm not talking about when it's paramount that one or more of the characters go on a research binge for the sake of the plot. And I'm not talking about the "convenience" character who just "happens to be" a history buff and can supply the main cast with just the things they need.

Or, if it is that character, how is that fact about her integrated into her personality? Think about how she came to be so interested. Do they have schools or tutors that require they learn history and this person just happened upon something within it that meshed and never parted? Even if that never makes it into the story, you will know it, and it will color the way you write the character.

Also think about how they record their history, and in what form. Is it based on archeological finds and study? Or has it always been written as it happened? Are their accounts only from the winners of wars, only from the upper echelons of society, or do they protect writings from all walks of life?

Wouldn't that be something?

Scrolls and books deteriorate, though they can be preserved for centuries. Still, in order to copy them, one has to write each word, without flaws. And there's always the chance the copyist skips a line or decides to rewrite one because it just seems too convoluted the way it is.

If they carve it in stone, a simple rubbing makes a copy (though then there would be those who wanted to copy the copy.)

Can you think of a way to record history in such a way that the original text has the best possible chance of surviving? How would having something like that change your world?

(Religious books can be put in this category, of course, depending on the religion.)


Instructional

"How to make a shirt."

"The best way to age cheese."

I supposed it's generally assumed that with the medieval-esque fantasy worlds, you have masters teaching apprentices, and that you have parents (or other mentors/guardians) teaching children. But does anyone ever think to write down the best ways they've found of doing things?

How easy is it for your general populace to purchase, steal or otherwise attain such written instructions? And how reliable can they trust them to be?

Religious texts can pop up here, too, especially with religions that put forth rules for spiritual progression and laws of conduct. It makes sense that these would be recorded in some transportable medium, such as books or scrolls, but doesn't that open the door for forgers to make intentionally altered copies? How would they protect against that?

Would followers of a religion have short reminders of those instructions? Perhaps a plaque beside their door or an amulet.


Entertainment for adults

Oh, the possibilities. You have your circulated newssheets, which I suppose could cycle up to the "History" section at some point, though I hope this wouldn't be the only way your world recorded history.

Then again, a world where that was the case could be an interesting one, indeed.

With newssheets, how might they get circulated? Perhaps certain people pay to have them delivered to their homes, but maybe they're short things that can be stapled to walls throughout town or on posts along roads.

Magazines can bridge the cap between the news, unabashed gossip, and fictional tales. If the technology of your world allows for it, they can even be a way to share art and impressions of landmarks, buildings, and portraits.

Moving onto books, we might run into biographical items (which can go back up to the history section as well), fictional stories, and poetry.

In this area, what sort of content is in vogue? What kinds are scandalous? Does being scandalous make them sought-after---while being abhorred in public, of course---or truly avoided except by certain people? Just what makes them scandalous and who are those certain people?

Think about our world and how you think of the people who read certain things. The Twilight series is popular enough to have been made into movies, but hardly anyone I know admits to liking it. Are there stories like that on your world?

Do your characters have any "guilty pleasures" in these areas?


Entertainment for children

We've had Dr. Seuss and Lewis Carroll and countless others who entertained us as children. What do your children have, so far as stories and poetry go? Would they be like the ones we have today, with lots of colorful illustrations?

Might they be interactive, like pop-up books and the ones with pockets and sliding paper doors with surprise pictures behind them?

Is there even a market for that kind of thing on your world? Or perhaps family members make them for the children.