Time in Fiction

When coming up with a new world, one of the hardest things to come up with are some of the most basic measurements we have. Before, I re-blogged a post on Distance. Now, I want to talk about time.

What is time, other than a measurement for everything as it interacts and changes around us. The truth is, that as humans, we have one concept of time. 60 seconds in a minute. 60 minutes in an hour. 24 hours in a day. 7 days in a week. Etc…

Regardless of how we measure time, something noticeable in all fictional works, is the similar time system to our own. 20 or 25 hour days. 5-10 day weeks. 10-15 months. Etc…

Why do we do that? In my own opinion, I believe it gives us a time structure we can better relate to. When you’re 15, it’s hard to sympathize with another 15 year-old when their year is 1000 days (or about 3 of ours).

So what does that mean for new races? Sure they live on a barely hospitable planet, but the year’s about the same length. So, they either have a planet traveling much faster, increasing natural forces on the planet, or, it moves slower for the planet to be closer to the center of the galaxy. A lot of planetary effects are built on the distance from the sun and other planets.

Also, in science fiction, the standard galactic year is almost always built around human standards as well. Creatures on other planets seem to just accept it and move on, despite their advanced statuses, but hey, what can we do? We’re only human after all, and I don’t see any extra-terrestrials reading my writing any time in the near future.

Thanks for hearing me out on… this.

Keep writing!

~ Underdog

Of Might and Magic: The Driving Forces of History

As a fantasy/sci-fi writer – so I claim – I often get to a point where I have to ask the most basic of questions, a question that seems simple at first, but really has powerful consequences in my writing.

What is the driving force in this country?

• Military?
• Politics?
• Religion?
• Trade?
• Science/Technology?
• Magic?

However you answer this, and there may be more than one, determines how things can reasonably play out. Those six factors are the driving forces behind most events in history. They shape a country, and guide it down the paths it must take. However, it should be noted that they overlap. There is almost always two or more driving events, as one gives, another takes.

If a country’s driving force is military superiority in a medieval setting, they probably have solid blacksmiths, and a large population that weakens their food control, thus pushing a more war-mongering kingdom. Remember as population increases, so does resource consumption.

The invention of the firearm was a major advance in military combat. Nobunaga Oda, of warring states Japan, was quickly feared as he was able to easily defeat the legendary Takeda cavalry with simple barricades and rifles.

Ever hear of the Inquisition? How about the Crusades? Religion with political control turned into horrible genocides in the name of Christianity.

A shift in power could lead to a country breaking up into smaller countries, creating several new economies where there was once one, sending global economics into an upheaval.

But what about Magic? It seems to be an oddball here. Well, I include it because I like to write fantasy. As such, magic can become a driving force for a country. It can be what bolsters its economy, its military, its science! A religion can be built around magic if we so choose. That’s why it’s an oddball in the list, but just as important.

I’ll leave this off here, as I don’t know how much more I can go into a broad subject range without needing to get into specifics on all of the topics. Needless to say, there is plenty to work with from there, and more if you put your imagination to it.

Keep writing!

~ Underdog

Fiction Highlights #2

For the fans of either a light read with some healthy sarcasm, or the good ol’ Dresden Files fans, there’s another series out there that’s right up your alley. The Alex Verus novels are about a man who’s power is that he can see into the future. Like any good diviner, he is naturally curious, and has a strong will to survive (unlike other diviners). The series follows the life of Alex Verus, and how his quiet London life gets flipped around from time to time. With nothing other than foresight, and a few magical items, how can he save the day?

As of now, there are two books in the series that are out, with a third released on August 28th. I intend to drop my current trek through Gardens of the Moon for this, so it’s no surprise that I recommend the series highly. It’s a fun read, and the author is hopefully going to make the third installment better than the first two.

Happy reading!

~ Underdog

Fiction Highlights #1

Maybe this is less Fiction and more Fantasy, but I want to take a chance to highlight some books that I’ve read over the years, particularly if I don’t hear much about them.

Today, I want to put forth the author K. A. Stewart and her Jesse James Dawson novels since the third one, A Wolf at the Door, just came out, and I’m excited to get to it.

Jesse James Dawson is a modern day, American samurai, right down to the sword and Bushido code. He works part time in retail while he works his other job: saving the souls of people from the deals they’ve made with demons.

These books are a fantastic if you want a light read with memorable characters from all walks in the woods including the demon Axel, who blurs the lines between good and evil at times for his own purposes, and Jesse’s wife Mira, a pagan and practitioner of old magic. Of course, if you really want to know more, I recommend picking up the first one. You won’t regret it!

Characterization – An Overview

Well, it’s Monday again, and I’m still trying to figure out how much I can talk about writing before I effectively run out with my frequent posting. If anyone has any topics to suggest, please comment and I’ll give my thoughts on the matter in a future posting. Today, I thought I’d talk about characterization. Now, characterization is a huge topic that can span a large number of posts, so I might as well charge head first into this, or I’ll never get it started.

There is so much to be said about this aspect of writing that it’s hard to pick a place to start. Hell, we can apply characterization to art as much as writing when you get down to it, but I’ll save that part for another time. For now, I’m sticking to starting out with a general overview, and some ideas.

I’m sure any aspiring writer has seen at least one or two of these things (particularly in the fantasy/sci-fi genres), called generators. They pick a bunch of random details and put them together into a character, or a place, or a thing. I have a few favorites myself that I like to check out. Don’t rely on them for anything other than inspiration. Making characters this way kills them in your head. Sure, they can be good filler for that briefly mentioned cannon fodder, but any character that has some importance to the story will have no original life in your head. Instead, use them to pick and choose details that spring images to life in your mind. A name, a detail, etc…

Now, once you have an image, what about race? Is it unique? Is it traditional? Are you sticking to stereotypes, or re-imagining a classic. I’ve thought long and hard on the Tolkien Elf, and want to rewrite them with a culture – instead of being an earthy, woodsy, people – based on feudal Japan, with warlords, and honor being a huge factor in the warrior life. They could keep that deep philosophical nature, but wrapped in a warrior culture. There is so much to be done, that it amazes me how little some things change.

Some people use a form. I’ve checked out a few by myself – not like it’s a bad thing – for creating a character. You can pencil in details and save them. Personally, I’m a discovery writer, meaning I learn more about everything as I write, not by planning things out, so something like this would change frequently. Ever had a character change their sexuality on you? That’s not something that you usually plan, and can make a strict character record hard to work with.

Among the many ways to characterize someone, appearance is often overlooked. The way someone dresses can easily define them, and this becomes increasingly important in various mediums. Does your character have purple hair? Why? Were they born that way? Is it a rebellious streak? What about piercings? Tattoos? Most people get a tattoo, not because it’s cool, but because it means something to them. It has to do with a part of their life, culture, or heritage, or whatever you want call it. Some people have one as a drunken mistake though. How did that happen? Do they frequently get wasted? Why?

You can’t forget background information. Sometimes a character had a tragic past, maybe a decent one, maybe it’s just your average person caught up in a lot of crazy stuff. How did they get there? Who are their friends? Best friends? Social circles? If they’re a real person like me, they’ll have different groups of friends as they get older. I qualify my friends into three general groups: hometown friends, engineering friends, and English major friends. The groups overlap in spots, and can get along fairly well, but they are very different people.

While it isn’t a factor on how well you write, I would suggest – those of you in the fantasy/sci-fi genres – to look at a Mary-Sue test. A good one will cover most stereotypes, and you can get an idea as to originality. While originality doesn’t make a good story it can be a useful reference material to keep you from making a Superman among humans (unless that’s what you want).

Anyway, I hope this constitutes a good general overview. I didn’t even touch upon speech though… Another day, another time I suppose.

Keep on writing!

~ Underdog