Comments | a_r_williams: WHERE ARE ALL THE WIZARD ARMIES?

a_r_williams

WHERE ARE ALL THE WIZARD ARMIES?

Nov 23, 2019 11:21

Wizards are powerful, it’s well known. Gandalf, Voldemort, and even Darth Vader. They are a common staple of fantasy. They usually have an abundance of knowledge to go along with their power. Yet, there are never any wizard armies in fantasy? (Unless you consider Dumbledore’s Army-which I don’t really do ( Read more... )

wizard armies, fiction, writing, fantasy

Comments 7

Well ... ysabetwordsmith November 24 2019, 03:20:35 UTC

I have observed the following reasons across the genre ( ... )

Re: Well ... a_r_williams November 24 2019, 19:02:00 UTC

Hi ( ... )

Re: Well ... ysabetwordsmith November 24 2019, 21:11:11 UTC

>> I think I've learned something about tropes, maybe it's something I've always known, but now it's more solidified after having posted this question in another forum. And it's not the first time I've seen answers like this when it comes to tropes or nostalgia for a particular genre. <<

That's useful.

>> This is what I've learned--tropes can be helpful, but they can also be harmful. <<

Yep. Tropes are most useful in creating a common language between writer and reader, so we can enjoy short stories without having to build a whole new world in three pages. They're also good when they identify things that work well -- for example, evil bringing about its own demise through bad decisions.

They are most harmful when they repeat destructive ideas like Bury Your Gays. These are sometimes called stop-tropes. Writers should think first before using them again: is it essential to the story, and does the quality of the story outweigh the harm done by using the trope? I don't give my queerfolk a get-out-death-free card, but I do try to ( ... )

Re: Well ... ysabetwordsmith November 24 2019, 21:11:38 UTC

>> But the harmful part is people don't want to change. They don't want to expand the horizons of what the genre is or is capable of. So we will always be left with fantasy that takes place in medieval Europe, with dark lords, and elves, and dwarves, and orcs. Wizards will be the same because that's how they've always been.<<

This is where things really get interesting for me. I am, and always have been, watching closely for people to point out things that have never been done -- or done rarely and badly -- so I can write something new. For example:
An Army of One -- Why aren't there more neurovariant characters? Now there are.
Clay of Life -- Why are golems always the bad guys? Fixed it. (They weren't always, but then the goyim got involved.)
A Conflagration of Dragons -- Why do dragons typically appear only one at a time and almost all stories about them involve a hero slaying one? And what would happen if they flocked like most winged things? And while we're on the topic, what the hell do they want with all that treasure ( ... )

Thread 6

Also ... ysabetwordsmith December 11 2019, 03:05:49 UTC

You can now read my poem "A Good Imagination and a Pile of Junk," about the development of a wizard army.