Fantasy With A Purpose Forum Complex Storytelling

Amy Lynn	Complex Storytelling 16 Years Ago This group seems to be the perfect place for me. I'm in the midst of writing the first draft of my fantasy novel. I'm writing a story driven by two sources. One is the undead plaguing the city, and the other is the character driven actions of the characters. It's difficult to explain that it's a story that deals with mythological creatures like zombies and werewolves, while also dealing with family bonds and love that isn't just like in the movies. What's everyone else writing about? How are your stories complicated, or thematic?
Rogue Daffodil	[no subject] 16 Years Ago Hi there! When I joined the Cafe, this group was the first one I joined, and still is the one I hope will blossom into the great group I know it can be, if we all put a little effort into it. My fantasy novel is about the complex relationships in a particular family, during the backdrop of a failed war for surival against a neighboring superpower. Love, hate, intrigue and betrayal abound in my story. I had hoped to get some feedback, but it seems no one is interested. I even went so far as to review the work of others. Still, I get no reviews. Then, all our writing was erased so I reposed the current drafts, and what do you know? No interest, no reviews. I wonder... Maybe it's awful and I'm just too biased to realize it. Could be. Anyhow, Amy, I 'll read your zombie story and tell you what I think.
Andy Kerstetter	[no subject] 16 Years Ago One of my college professors taught me about Commercial Fantasy and Literary Fantasy. Commercial Fantasy is driven by plot and exciting events, whereas Literary Fantasy is driven by the characters themselves and their decisions. I think I'm on the side of Literary Fantasy. Whatever I write I try to make it be about the characters, not about the plot. I try to have my characters be three-dimensional and empathetic for the readers. A story I'm working on now revolves around a certain family and their troubles, which are partly due to their own natures and the outside interference of an evil spirit, which has also been manipulating a rival family into doing the things they do...lots of political conflict and deceit, and of course some fighting. It's really hard to weave a complicated narrative while also building up the characters in the eyes of the reader, I think.
Benjamin Martinson	[no subject] 16 Years Ago My story is complex in a sense that I'm writing backwards. What I mean by that is I was told to write the characters first and just have them act. I started with a plot and some pretty flat characters. Then I decided to let the characters influence the plot while adding and deleting characters as necessary. Now it's getting more complex and much more interesting. Another way to make a story interesting and to fight writers block is to write chapters in the characters past. These don't have to published, but I found that it often helps me develop the characters. Then if it is necessary I'll write it or paraphrase it into the story.
Reba B.	Re: Complex Storytelling 13 Years Ago Right now I'm inbetween two fantasy stories, but the one I really want people to check out is aWACened. It's about this boy who has a sort of social anxiety which really begins to affect him mentally when strange stuff begins to happen. He hints to something that has affected him for the past two years throughout and gives the story of what happened throughout the book. As of right now, not very much really screams "fantasy", but I sort of wanted more opinions on it before I posted more and get to the more fantasy parts. I don't want to give away too much on what happens, but trust me when I say there is more to the story than what I've summarized here. I hope I can get some opinions on this. Please check it out! :)
Susanna F	Re: Complex Storytelling 13 Years Ago Amy, your book sounds really interesting! I'll check out anything you have posted. It's been a while since I checked my groups, so maybe it's time to get caught up. I have two current projects, one of them a fairly straightforward standalone YA book, the other much more complex. The latter is a series of four books based on a short story I wrote as a little girl, about a girl who finds a gate to other worlds. I'm weaving together the plots of her troubled homelife, mysterious missing father, an ancient race with superhuman powers, and Adah's ability to understand the speech of animals and various other things. It's a lot of fun, but has been over a year in plotting alone. Rogue Daffodil - I checked out your first chapter of Carnelian, but I don't think I'm a good person to give any criticism on it, I just can't objectively read stuff that graphic.
A.G.Adair	Re: Complex Storytelling 9 Years Ago I'm working on a story called Broken Legacy with the first book titled Greed and Power. i have a complex main story Plot that has Character Story Plots tied in moving the story along. rather than trying to explain my Plot i'll past a small section of Chapter ! it'll paint a picture of how the world is at the beginning of my story This Character's name is Tanchin, he's a Tibetan Monk. "Let me tell you a story about the beginning, maybe that will help you my friend! Long ago before man or beast walked the earth, there was only the Tree of Life. She gave life to majestic creatures both big and small, Dragons, giants, griffins, and gods all came before us! While all the others lived in harmony with the world the gods wanted more, they wanted a legacy! So they tapped into the well to create us. The ancient one’s decided to fight against the gods for what they did, stealing form the Tree of Life. But the gods were too strong, and had a plan to protect themselves and human kind from the others! They relied on the well protecting herself from others stealing life-force again. A great wall began ascending from the earth swallowing the eternal forest whole. Creating a barrier between this place and the rest of the world! Although we are not born from her grace we are given life from her! You see the gods were wrong to do what they did. It put a great strain on her but without the gods we would not exist! My brothers and I we keep the peace, or at least try to. The ancient ones will not speak to us and the gods believe we are undermining there work, a blight that stains there creation!" "Our end goal is to bring down the barrier and heal the world," he continues while still focusing on me. I think he's trying to read me, read my reaction. "So when you look into the well, you are seeing what you should have been and not what you are