: Re: Classic fantasy races lazy or boring? In my fantasy world there are other other sentient races besides humans. Some of them are "original", or at least not as common in mainstream stories. On

I think you can use the traditional ones if you do not stray far from what readers would expect. Don't call them "elves" if they are ogres, or have extra arms.

As you note for yourself, when you encounter "elves" in a new book you want to see what the author has done with them: you have a basic mental model of what an "elf" is, and expect the author to accessorize it with skills, personality traits, etc. But some changes that violate your basic mental model make them NOT elves! Wings, perhaps, or covered in scales like a reptile, or laying eggs to reproduce.

If your species require new skills or physical assets or whatever that do not fit in the canon of 'regular' fantasy, create them for your book. Do not make them ogres or giants or dragons unless you can stick to the reader expectations of ogres, giants or dragons, with minor original "decorations" that do not jerk the reader out of their basic model of the canon.

For example, your ogre can love chocolate and still be an ogre. Your giant can recite poetry. Your dragon may enjoy swimming, and dry herself afterward by breathing fire upon herself.

Load Full (0)

: The short of it, I think not. In my experience a cohesive powerful group process like you experienced is a rare thing indeed. The better, the rarer in fact. Why so rare? It requires a lot

@Gonzalez219

Load Full 0 Comments

: The style of interleaving separate stories in a book This is my first question on Writers.se; I'd normally ask such questions on EL&U, but I'm trying to expand my horizons. Let me know

@Gonzalez219

Load Full 1 Comments

: How to know the reason for rejection? Just out of curiousity, how do people figure out the reason their work is not accepted? I tried submitting my work to a newspaper but the editor rejected

@Gonzalez219

Load Full 5 Comments

: What would happen to the reader if the main character dies in the story? Can anyone tell me what would happen if the main character dies in the story?

: Re: Classic fantasy races lazy or boring? In my fantasy world there are other other sentient races besides humans. Some of them are "original", or at least not as common in mainstream stories. On

More posts by @Gonzalez219

: The short of it, I think not. In my experience a cohesive powerful group process like you experienced is a rare thing indeed. The better, the rarer in fact. Why so rare? It requires a lot

: The style of interleaving separate stories in a book This is my first question on Writers.se; I'd normally ask such questions on EL&U, but I'm trying to expand my horizons. Let me know

: How to know the reason for rejection? Just out of curiousity, how do people figure out the reason their work is not accepted? I tried submitting my work to a newspaper but the editor rejected

: What would happen to the reader if the main character dies in the story? Can anyone tell me what would happen if the main character dies in the story?

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top