i am biased here, i once tried to read a fantasy story and it LITERALLY BEGAN with a list of commonly used words and an alphabet and everything. the list was like 7 pages long. so i skip over the list and dive into the story only to realize that the story is UNREADABLE without having to flip back and forth between the list
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You don't have to come up with fancy fictional names, you can just call sushi and pizza what they are: raw fish and cheese bread pie. Or if Bloompfarger means "Bloom Hunting", why not call it the Bloom Hunting festival? That way readers can see what it is (Oh, they collect blooming flowers), instead of breaking the story to go back and check the reference.
That introduction, though... That's the most literal info-dump I've ever heard of. Usually you have some character go on and on about everyday objects and events, but this? Why on earth does the book need you to know the written language? And common words? Oh ye Gods, why?
nobody says that in fantasy, people are only allowed to eat foods found in britain circa the 1200's to 1800's.
Oh my god THIS THIS THIS.
And on that note, the general 'all fantasy is medieval' mentality drives me nuts. Why does all fantasy need to be stuck in the Dark Ages? Okay okay, I get it, for some people that time preiod probably seems more awesome than ours does, or the 1900s, or whatev, but come on! I want to see some original-world fantasy in a 1910 era! (Actually, I kinda do. Anyone know any?) Tallships are great (no really, I have a minor obsession with them) but where are the paddle-steamers? Why can't my characters have some soda on a hot afternoon? Or a milkshake
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"I want to see some original-world fantasy in a 1910 era! (Actually, I kinda do. Anyone know any?)"
I'm working on something set in a 1919/1920 kind of era - wars just ended, similar levels of technology (although no planes and only a few very, very basic balloons and maybe a zepplin or two), radios, railroads, and real food. The magic is just the cherry on the sundae, really.
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That introduction, though... That's the most literal info-dump I've ever heard of. Usually you have some character go on and on about everyday objects and events, but this? Why on earth does the book need you to know the written language? And common words? Oh ye Gods, why?
Reply
Oh my god THIS THIS THIS.
And on that note, the general 'all fantasy is medieval' mentality drives me nuts. Why does all fantasy need to be stuck in the Dark Ages? Okay okay, I get it, for some people that time preiod probably seems more awesome than ours does, or the 1900s, or whatev, but come on! I want to see some original-world fantasy in a 1910 era! (Actually, I kinda do. Anyone know any?) Tallships are great (no really, I have a minor obsession with them) but where are the paddle-steamers? Why can't my characters have some soda on a hot afternoon? Or a milkshake ( ... )
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I'm working on something set in a 1919/1920 kind of era - wars just ended, similar levels of technology (although no planes and only a few very, very basic balloons and maybe a zepplin or two), radios, railroads, and real food. The magic is just the cherry on the sundae, really.
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