Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.

Here in part two, we are looking at Fantasy Dragons, and there history.

First, we have dragons.  Now we all agree that dragons are AWESOME but, they are cliched.  I'm terribly sorry to say it, but if dragons in your book, you made it a step more cliched.

Look how many books have dragons in them.  The list is almost as lengthy as how many High Fantasy books there are.

And not only that, but in just about every single nation, there were legends of these mythical creatures - what we now call dragons.

This diverse and eclectically known (Princess Writer... ahem :P) creature was used in Japanese legends, Norse legends, Greek mythology - even the Native Americans, a continent away, had ancient drawings of seven headed dragons.

Originally, a dragon was the Devil.  No one liked dragons - they were hated and feared - but they certainly were famous.

In medieval days, an idea in Germany circled around that if you bathed in dragon's blood, you would become immortal.

I have only read about 2 of the German legends, but they are very interesting.  I also HIGHLY recommend a book called 'Story of the Nations.  Germany.' It is a part of a long series about several different nations, published in 1896, so it's hard to get, but worth the effort.

But why are dragons so popular now?

To some extent, it was because dragons have always captured the minds of the people.  Tolkien surely revived the fantastical idea of dragons, creatures like Smaug are unforgettable.

And in recent years, authors have popularized dragons.  Christopher Poalini comes to my mind first.

As you can see though, dragons are cliche.  At least how people imagine them now.

So what can you to make a dragon NOT cliche?  Well, make them different.  Dragons these days are noble and proud, almost all of them are that way.  So why not change it?

Doing extreme and exotic things is always an option with fantasy...

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  There is so many comments and I can't respond to them all today... sorry!  I was going to something that is really important today, but I was only able to write this up... even though all I have to do was move it to this computer and paste it... :P

A Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.


I shall be posting a series of at least 3-6 posts on originality and cliches that - especially young writers - often get caught up in.  Now I'm not saying I've mastered this area, but I do know these things, and I shall share them for your benefit!  So, here it is!
~~~~
Introduction.

Every good fictional or non-fiction piece of work has a plot - believe me, even soap-operas do, but that's about as low as you can get.

Often times though, the plots that we come up with are unoriginal.  Obviously, inspiration is what sparked it, and inspiration it good!  But there's a clear line between inspiration, and so much inspiration that it no longer is inspiration and turns out to be either plain copying, or just flat out cliche.

Now, I will not spare you the hard truth, your writing - undoubtedly - has or was inspired by something, whether or not it was too much inspired, well, you'll have to figure that out for yourself.  What I'm saying though, is that we all take off thing from others.

Since J.R.R. Tolkien published the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the genre of High Fantasy has never been the same.

After J.K. Rowling published her series, the genre was impacted.

When George Lucas released the Star Wars Saga, the Science-Fiction genre was entirely overhauled.

Yet, J.R.R. Tolkien wasn't entirely original.  No, in fact, he reaped a MASSIVE amount of inspiration (and really just took) from the legends of Finland, the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons.  You see, he was NOT original.

J.K. Rowling too, used an exponential amount of legends - primarily that of Witch-craft and the sort.

George Lucas himself said he was greatly inspired from Flash Gordon.

And the first humans undoubtedly got inspiration from God's creation and the nature around them.

So you see, no one, absolutely no one, is completely original.

But that's okay.

Being original won't get you published in and of itself - don't get me wrong though, it will help greatly.

Moving On.


So now that I've covered that, I'll let you in on one cliche that nearly every Sci-Fi writer falls into.

A mixture of world terror and romance.

Number 1, why does there have to be romance?  Sure, people may be looking for companions because they're scared, but does that really have to get into romance???  The answer, no.  Because do you really think, if the world is seemingly about to explode, people would go get married in the dozens?  No, they wouldn't.  At least I sure wouldn't. There's far more greater things to worry about, like, well, just from the top of my mind we'll say, SAVING THE WORLD, duh.

Certainly, some people would be doing that, but that writing tactic is cliche and boring.

I'm not saying you can't have the two, but having the two combined is overused.

Now it comes to world terror.  Why does it always have to be aliens?  Okay fine, if it's not aliens it's mind-control, if it's not mind-control it's a dictator who just invented an army of robots who will destroy the world.

Woopidy doo, I've seen it a millions times already, I KNOW what I'm going to get out of this book (or movie) - boredom.

What really annoys me, though, is when Science-Fiction is over fictionalized.  For instance, aliens coming in saucer spaceships.

A round ship couldn't even fly, nor would it be arrow-dynamic.  Yes,  fiction is cool, but Science-Fiction should be what it tells us it is - Science, mixed with fiction, not fiction mixed with fantasy.

~The WordWeaver

Well, it's day 12 already, and my word count is definitely not as high as I wished it to be. 2,553 words... yup!

So, this is the very first post this month!  February is a very odd month.  Why?  Look at how you spell it.  February.  If you sound it out, it sounds like Feb-rue-ary.

Anyway, as the title explains... here's an excerpt of my Short Story!  While it is not drafted, and I have only looked once or twice.  So, here it is!

Chapter 1.

The stale leaves of autumn crunched under our feet as we headed for Stephen’s home.  I quickly handed him his paper bearing the title:  “God Loves You” before we arrived at the Fairfield’s large door.

       Stephen’s hand reached for the door, but it swung upon before his fingers touched the cold metal, sliding over its oiled hinges to reveal Misses Fairfield.

       Her cold glance shot shivers down my back, the pale, hard eyes drove themselves in like a nail beneath a hammer.  Something about her gave me a stomach lurching poison inside me, her eyes, predominately, though her dyed hair, streaks of a dirty brown mixed with a bright almost white blond, told me much of her person in and of itself.


This is from the very beginning, so, yeah!

I WILL post some writing tips soon, but that'll be tomorrow.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  Sorry for no posts for the past few days.  Weebly, the host of this blog, was down, so while you could get on and see older posts, I couldn't blog new posts. ;(

I have some things to blog about - writing tips and such - but I was lazy and decided I'd just re-post something from my other blog.

Unfortunately, the pictures only work on that blog, so you can go to it here.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  How's your Short Stories coming?  Mine is about 1,300, but I'm going to write more tonight.

Last night I watched 'Toy Story 3' for the first time.

An interesting movie, for sure, but not really my favorite - at all.

ALERT SPOILERS FOR TOY STORY 3.

Cons.

First, just because I don't like Romance, I'll say that it's not a helpful thing to the movie. Romance rarely is, and... I just don't like it.

Although, the whole thingy about Buzz Lightyear being Spanish was more just funny than anything else.


More Cons.


I've learned a lot since I've watched either of the two other Toy Stories, and one of those things is that every character should have some characterization.


For the most part, the Screen-Writers did a fantastic job at this.  However, some of Woody's companions were just... there.  Stuck in the whirlwind of chaos.  Why?  Because they needed something that toy could do.


Slinky the dog (or whoever he is) for instance, he's just an accessory, he has no character development what-so-ever.  With a small group like Woody's, I think everyone deserves at least some attention.


And also Buzz Lightyear.  I couldn't help but notice that - while he was involved in a lot of action - they didn't develop him as they did Woody and some of the other characters.


Maybe I'm being too picky, but that's one thing I noticed.


Another thing that annoyed me was *PREPARE FOR SPOILERS.  DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE.  I WARNED YOU.* when everyone was about to die.


They were slowly coming closer to that big ball of fire, when help came in the form of a crane.  Woopidy doo.  The screen-writers just RUINED my night.  (And probably the next day.)


I hate cheap and cheesy excuses out of situations, and that - to me - was one of them.  Couldn't those three little thingies from Pizza Planet just followed the toys, then pressed the button which stopped the fire?  That might be a-not-so-concrete solution either, but to me it would be better.


Pros.


Other than Slinky, the Character Development was superb.  It's interesting, because it feels like I know Lots o' much better than I do Buzz.  Because Buzz wasn't really developed as much as he could have been.  But Lots o' was.  In both his actions and his past, a clear image came forth.


And a clear and consistent image of a character is almost always good.  In this case, it was good.  Though I do not mean to say being plain is O.K., and that's part of the reason why I thought Lots o' was done so well, because it didn't tell, it showed.


The plot was good, loyalty being chief among everything.  I really liked how Woody was split between which to choose - his friends or Andy.  Because a character on a mission will almost always succeed, but if a character has a choice that is equally important, you never know which one he will choose, and that makes it all the better.


*MASSIVE SPOILERS.  TURN AWAY IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED TOY STORY 3!!!*


And lastly, I come to the ending.


All I have to say about it was... it was so good!  And sad.


*SPOILERS ARE NOW OVER!*
*****************************************************************************


I give this movie a 7-out-of-10 stars.


~The WordWeaver  (A later post is coming soon - hopefully).

By R.A.H.Thacker II

What Was, What Will Be.

He stands there, balancing, below him lay fathoms of the city's depths.

He has a choice.

One step forward.

One step back.

Onto the air beyond, that seeks to fail Him.

Or back into the corners that trap Him.

"Shall I be strangled, in the seas of my past?"  He says.

"Or shall I step into the nothingness, the nothingness which will never keep my ground, and the nothingness which I shall never come out of?"

The balance of His foot wavering on the edge of death, like a deceiving path of a thin blanket over a black pit.  One step forward, and all is committed.

Miles below, the racket of all Human creation steamed like a monster, eating up all that once was, once could have been, and the hope that had been.

Was going back not a choice?

Was reaching forward the only path?

Or, was He stuck now forever?

Had his indecision swallowed Him for eternity?

Had He been to late?  Was there no way left to go?

The soft breeze of the past, reminiscing what He had dreamed, breathed up to Him, wanting to steal Him away.

The simplicity of Before, was it gone?

And if it was, would it ever come again?

However, from the heavens, descended a being.  It is a bright creature, radiant in the early sun's light, shining silently and still.  And a sense of peace and rest is upon The Man.

Yet from the depths of the earth came another such soul.  It was dark, ghostly, being - glinting of the twilight sun.  It plants a seed of anxiety and hopelessness inside The Man.

Then the Light Being says unto The Man; "choose not what you seek in your earthly flesh.  Take the choice of the Light, and go onward."

The other - quickly retaliating - spake the gruff and booming words which caused only dread on the earth.  "Take not the path of the unknown, go back into the luxury of what seek.  For it alone shall be your rest."

"It's words take the path of others, do not go astray.  The path back only leads to glimpses of what had been, and not what will be."  Came the soft voice of the Other.

But the being of the earth took The Man's shoulder, and with a dreadful gaze, lifted him up, shaking him and taking him far from the Edge on which Man had once relied, and there, showed him the world.

"It is a place full of dread and sorrow, the road onward, let it be not your path.  Seek what was, and it will be.  Take not what might be, take what was."

The Being of Light was soon with them.  "It will only lead to the faint traces of what has already gone by.  Choose what may be, the Light and the Hope.  Do not Despair, take the Hope in which you have and live upon it."

"Take not It's foul words," the reply of the Dark being's came.  "It does not know what is good for The Man's soul.  It wishes only for you to suffer the sorrow and the tears of what will be, and not what was.  The To Be is a land of darkness and death, the shallow waters will not spread out for long."

"Listen not to It's words," the Light One says, "forward is the Hope and Peace that longs to be with you.  No doubt, hard times may lay ahead, but the shield of your Faith will Protect you.”

The two Beings hovering off, looking on as The Man stood in the shallow airs of the Earth.  His Choice remaining for Him to decide alone.

"Yo ho ho ho
Onward we go,
Forward we go!
Under mountain, under leaf,
Over hill, over brook,
Through plain, through storm.
Yo ho ho ho,
Onward we go,
Forward we go!"

"Through waters we speed,
Through golden fields we lead,
Under mountains, past it's fountains,
towards the land of gold!"


"Yo ho ho ho
Onward we go,
Forward we go!
Under mountain, under leaf,
Over hill, over brook,
Through plain, through storm.
Yo ho ho ho,
Onward we go,
Forward we go!"

(This is the same song I made up that I also posted on my other blog ->
http://rahthacker.blogspot.com/  <-

So... I got the idea of that from climbing up and down a large hill near our house.  It was snowing a lot, which made it better.  Not a great song, not at all.

But considering that's the first one I have ever made up... I think I can give myself a bit of slack. :P

(It was also inspired from the Hobbit. :)


Life.

Volleyball practice could have went smoother, though actually got it over the net most of the time I served.  But when I wasn't serving... *facepalm**headdesk**turns various shades of green*... I not once got it over the net. :(

At least one time I actually hit the ball when it came straight to me...

Anyway, that's one of the reasons I don't like to talk about my life, not at this moment at least.

But, I'm sure there's something non-writing yet still good that happened recently... well, I'm alive (though, with volleyball that might not be such a good thing :P).

Well, I've been watching some cartoon kid movies recently... LOL.  They're funny, and cool, I don't know why I like cartoon movies better than real acting, but while I wait to watch the Hobbit, I can watch the Hobbit's cartoon version.  Not the best, but still cool. :)

I also watched the Princess and the Goblin.  Partly because I'm to lazy to read the book (It's a bit boring...), but it was still cool.

I also watched the Second movie of some series called 'Swan Princess'.  It sounds like a girly movie, and it is, sort of, but the plot isn't bad, so that's cool.  (it, like the others, was cartoon).

Writing.


Writing has gone okay-ish.  While I haven't written much on my Short Story, I got some inspiration from being in a low mood (as in sad), so I wrote a thingy.  It was short, but it was an allegory of sorts about what was happening in my writing life.


I might post it sometime.


~Inksplattered and Sputtering,
The WordWeaver

The War Horn was an amazing novella by J. Tobias Buller.  If any of you are looking for a good book to read, I highly suggest it.

John - the son of Lord Cayson - wakes late in the morning.  While a certain man visits his mother and father, he skips morning prayers and meets a welsh friend of his own age.  However, when news comes to the castle later and a note is found, John's world seems to be broken in half... and indeed it was cracking - cracking into war.  But after a few suspenseful days, John's only hope is to find the Holy Grail and... give it to his enemy.  But why would a tyrant, ungodly man like Lord Gair want a holy relic?

The War Horn places you in John's mind, every decision he makes, it feels as though you make.  I gasped at numerous twists and turns, with each page I was led inward, I felt myself wanting to scan the pages ahead to find out what would happen.

This Historical Fiction was well thought out, developed, and clear to understand.

I can see J Tobias Buller, or Jake, weaves his tale incredibly, amazing debut novella.  However, this is his first published work and in several parts - especially near the beginning - it shows through.  And being self-published there are several grammatical mistakes.  The ending, too, while satisfying, lacks some of the 'epicness' it could have.

Still, The War Horn is one of the tidiest self-published novella's I've read, and what experience was lacking in the beginning, was soon made up for.

I cannot explain how much this book engrossed me.  I literally was on the edge of my seat.  If you are looking for a book to read, to intrigue you and bring you in, or even just to relax after a hard day, then The War Horn is your book.

I shall wait (not so patiently) for more books by Jake as this has left me (almost) bleeding for more.  But first, join John on his journey, whether or not you like Historical Fiction, I'm sure you'll love The War Horn.

I give it a 4-out-of-5 stars.

~Ink-Splattered and Pencil Armed
The WordWeaver

4 days into the contest and I now have 1,774 words, though that word count hasn't been updated since yesterday, so I hope to write about 1,000 more words today.

I was hit (like really hard, I think I have a black eye (Just kidding)) with some cool, yet... weird inspiration.

My mind wants me to make this into a fantasy story, yet from the beginning I had always wanted it to stay in the Low Fantasy genre, not High Fantasy.

So I had a bit of a war going on inside me.

High Fantasy (what I mostly write) VS Low Fantasy (not so much).

But I have been writing so much High Fantasy that I really wanted a change.

Yes, I admit, I didn't write any yesterday. :(

But I will today, and posting here is only the start.  I have a particular post I've been wanting to post for a while now that I'll put up today (though not in this post).

So, as I said above, I didn't write any, and that includes writing on my Short Story *facepalm*.

*Later that day...*

Originality can be one of the hardest enemies a writer can ever, Ever, have.

And it lies to us, it says it is originality, and yet, it is not.

We will always have this problem, however, we must prevail.

If something is clichéd, fix it.

For instance, as I am patching up one of my very first novel, first off, I see that the climax, well… it’s a bit clichéd, but here’s where it gets good (or bad, actually).  The antagonist invades the country, and the people in the country set out to defend themselves.

A battle ensued (the battle at the end of the book), and the good guys started loosing.  Then suddenly some people came to rescue them.  Throw a party, get excited. :/

The reason?  Well, because I didn’t set out a good plan, and didn’t have an outline, I had to make one up on the fly.  Guess what I got?  An overused, predictable cliché.

Wow, great ending to the entire story.  Not.

For that, and numerous other reasons, I have decided that the second half of my novel is unfit to have as my five NaNoWriMo book copies.  Alas… I sort of wish I could get the original, yet have it still be as good as I will make it.  Too bad life doesn’t work that way.

Anyway, I think I’ll have that other post up later today, but I need to write some first.

Inkblots are writers (random quote)

The WordWeaver