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Robert the Bard
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Click here to see the profile of this user 		Re:Question here.. - 09/11/2006 Here's the catch, Sword and Sorcery, you don't need to stick to conventions, or historical facts. In fact, the more fantastic, the better. How much of Robert E. Howard's work could be traced back to history? However, the bar is much higher for science fiction, since the stuff that was totally fiction 30 years ago is becoming fact now.
For Sword and Sorcery, I don't think that anybody has ever actually seen the Elemental Plane of Fire, so have a heyday with it, however, do keep track of that kind of stuff, so that you can maintain consistency within the realm you create. It can't be this today, and that tomorrow, unless there is a good reason, and that reason is laid out. Readers will pick up on that, I know I would. In my little piece I posted for review, I am working within an "existing" framework, and so I need to stay close to what is expected. I don't have to copy somebody else's concept for it, but I need to stay "true" to the idea.
I hope that's kinda clear. Best I can do right now. Basically, have fun with it, but make sure you stay accurate to what you create.
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antryg
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Click here to see the profile of this user 		Re:Question here.. - 09/11/2006 I think that my view is the same as the others here. You don't have to make it all fact based and researched. However it does need to be consistent and where different from "our world" you need to be able to explain it so that the reader will accept it as being true and real for "your" world. To make things consistent and belieavable may take some research or at least basic knowledge of your own.

For me, the important thing is the concept of "the big lie". The reader will accept the fantastic and unbeliveable but only up to a limit. You have to "hang" everything on a framework that is belieavable and understood by the reader.
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FalconDance
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Click here to see the profile of this user 		Re:Question here.. - 09/11/2006 Well, I think as long as there's a grain of truth or do-ability in your fiction, then anything is usable. Tolkien used a great deal of mythology and its components which lent a familiarity and enhanced the believablity of his stories.

The main thing you need to keep in mind is that if you create something that is very different than what your reader is used to (a true fantasy or science fiction element), then you need to be able to explain *how* it works. Not that you have to in the story, necessarily, but if you yourself don't understand how a non-oxygen breathing organism could survive on Earth or how a dwarf's biology works, then you cannot adequately describe that element in your story if need be. In other (shorter) words , that means ya gotta know so you can show.

(If you make it up, you'll likely need a little research into possibilities.)
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helene
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Click here to see the profile of this user 		Re:Question here.. - 09/11/2006 Although some would disagree, I would say no. You don't always have to follow fact... I mean, it's fantasy - you make your own world, characters, and events as you see fit. BUT, I would say that when facts are twisted into your fantasy world, it makes your story much more interesting and appears more polished.

For example, anything can be explained when you're writing fantasy stories... you can use any of your creations to explain certain phenomena or events that occur within your world. Mixing it with facts makes it more challenging because there are more rules to follow - but it's a nice challenge that may help you become more creative!
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yvonne
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Click here to see the profile of this user 		Question here.. - 09/11/2006 I have a question here about fiction writing. I notice novel series like Harry Potter and Narnia are somehow related to historical facts and scientific explanations. Is it necessary for us to well-research the facts before we write according to our imagination? Or can we just write freely as far as our imagination can bring us? Is there a limit or borderline for our imaginative writing?
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Boardwalk :: Forum List Writing Topics Fiction