: Re: Creating a story in which the hero(es) lose So I am still in the primitive stages of creating my own world and story, if I even do it that is. I am still trying to get a feel for where

@Debbie451

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I for one, would love to read a follow up novel about a world ruled by orcs.

So let me ask you this: Why not write that book instead?

In fact, why not make the orcs the heroes of your story?

Could the orcs be in rebellion against your Sauron character? Could
they be done with the entire thing and just want to wrap up the war
so they can go home to their orc families? Could they be bored and
just want to go home and watch Dancing with the Nazgûl?
Are there band-geek orcs and slacker orcs and intellectual orcs and
middle-manager orcs? Are there anal-retentive orcs and messy eater
orcs and orcs who have an allergy to bonefish?
Is there a rivalry between different tribes of orcs like sports team
fans? Is there a racial rivalry which is more serious? Is there a
rivalry between orcs and Uruk-Hai?

Figure out what fascinates you here. Is it that the Good Guys always win and you're curious about what happens if the Bad Guys win? Have you read any of the myriad post-apocalyptic dystopian YA series currently in vogue? Are those not appealing because the Good Guys still find a way to win? Do you think that exploring the other side of the story is inherently more interesting?

I agree entirely with @Werrf that Downer Endings Suck for the most part, so don't do that. If your orcs are the bad guys and they lose at the end, that's okay, because you can show that even though they are rounded characters, they are still the bad guys and they should lose. Or reverse it and the Good Guys lose because they are in fact not as Good as Tolkien would have it.

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