My Thoughts on Writing Fantasy Fiction

At this site, 5 tips to writing a fantasy novel, one of the tips is to know the political factions. It's a good thing I've spent years thinknig about the one I am working on, because I have actually developed political factions over the years for the world in which it is set. I essentially finished book one and have plans for book two. I did start a bit of editing; but I think I should finish the trilogy before editing in earnest, since parts tend to overlap.

I haven't been writing too much lately, mostly because I've been studying the worldbuilding for an mmorpg called World of Warcraft. Yes, I enjoy playing it. There's also mention of occupations as well as classes, which is also a good point to take into consideration while writing. The things your character does for a living, outside of a plot, may well influence points of the plot. If you have an herbalist, for example, well, chasing herbs can often get you into some sort of trouble... ;-) Same with mining ores. An archer may be more then someone who shoots arrows. S/he has to know how to care for them.

Even magic must have some rules. I like the idea of basing a magic system on the act of using a computer. Technicians help with maintenance (that's where the real magic users come in), and there are people who will refuse or who are unable to learn to use it by some form; but there may be some forms of it which are usable by anyone who bothers to learn how to "tap into" the resource. The knowledge may not be accessible to lower classes if you operate on a form of caste system, but it is there, and may even be a plot element in some cases. Any person, of whatever class, may gain some knowledge of how to "tap" the source, if they have, or have had, access to the proper resource for tutorials in either the past or the present of a story.

Bah. Even outlines change over time. My notes are so disorganized, though a lot of them are stored in my fevered little brain (rhymes with "insane"). I think you may need to be at least a little crazy, to entertain the idea of writing a novel of any sort. With no guarantees of success, publication, or getting someone else to feed and water the cat (not to mention letting the Feline Wonder bite someone else's ankles for a while), well... It's still good to keep notes. I have notes all over the place, including online.

Central location, anuyone? We needs tips on some form of organization, as well as the writing and outlines processes. Notebooks are all well and good, but they are not often always accessible, and have a tendency to disappear or get displaced for one or another reason.

Situation Normal, All Futzed Up.