Is it a bad idea to write a book that is set in the time period of medieval war? I'm not sure if I should write a book that is the same type as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. There would be no Orcs, Dwarfs, Hobbits, or Ents. I have left in Human, Elf, Wizard, and have added 5 new "races" that i have created very well. I also am putting in a love relationship between main characters (Tolkien did little of). The only major similarities between the two is that the evil character is trying to conquer, medieval battles , the "races," and time period.
2007-09-16 14:35:57 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Like other posts have said, many books are written about wizards and elves with battles and an evil character trying to conquer the world. Tolkien got inspiration from other sources as well, including the story of Sigurd from the Volsunga Saga.
I like to think that any story is capable of being original, if you find a unique way of telling it and find some new ideas. What bothers me is the repeated straight line between good and evil. I know that's a standard of the fantasy genre-- good guys in white with Chosen-One destinies and bad guys in black capes with sinister grins. I would like to read a fantasy book where the line is not so clear, where the characters are not types. Giving your evil character and your good character some depth might help your book to stand out.
And please, make your women characters as real as the men. Don't have all the women walking around in wispy dresses getting saved.
I hope you write something original.
2007-09-16 15:12:07 · answer #1 · answered by Roald Ellsworth 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on how you write it, and how your story unfolds. People are hungry for fantasy right now. I just finished a romance (as an experiment) by Suzanne Brockman, and the characters there were completely interchangeable and so two dimensional that I couldn't say she actually came too close to any particular work (few are as bad). Anyway, every other book in romance is about a SEAL, a cowboy, a fireman, or a vampire. This one was about a SEAL, but you could have inserted any of the above into the "story" and it wouldn't have mattered.
So, my point is, people get published every day with "stock characters," so why not you. If you can make your stock characters somewhat different, then you should be golden!
2007-09-17 14:30:18 · answer #2 · answered by bewerefan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Welcome to the exciting world of mediocre fantasy.
Ditch the elves, ditch the wizard, we have far too many of them.
Scratch that, you could keep elves and wizards, provided you make them different from how Tolkien imagined them. He didn't create Elves and Wizards, he just made a really popular look for them. If you do something entirely different, it wouldn't be so dramatically similar, like Eragon, which I think is the worst example of Fantasy trash in the last thirty years.
2007-09-17 02:09:33 · answer #3 · answered by Dan A 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are certainly a lot of books like this out there. More than you can possibly know because literally thousands of them are making their way from publisher to publisher and agent to agent being rejected along the way.
It is a very difficult genre to work in. It involves a great deal of homework and planning to create new races and new worlds and stay accurate and true to your creations.
The trick is to be fresh - find some kind of a new twist to make yours different. One such author is Glen Cook. He mixed characters like yours with 40's Detective Noir Fiction and created the Garrett series. It is incredible. You need to find some kind of a new hook to catch the attention of publishers and agents who read bad fantasy all day long. Your own question suggests you are unsure yourself. So work extra hard to make your book different. Be unique and be exceptional. Pax-C
2007-09-16 21:46:56 · answer #4 · answered by Persiphone_Hellecat 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
well you wont make sales with that kind of book because theres several books just like that. I hope you take this form of creative critisism and write a very innovative novel. Enjoy expresing yourself.
2007-09-16 21:47:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
no..you'll be fine. no offense, but there are tons of those types of books out there, so you would not be copying tolkien.
2007-09-16 21:40:30 · answer #6 · answered by the office lover<333 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋