Next writing project
Dec. 17th, 2010 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skull_bearerNow I only have 2 chapters left of AIoM to write, I'm starting to wonder what I'll do next. I've had a few ideas bouncing around, some sci-fi, some fantasty, even a sequel to AIoM. I think it'll be the fantasy I'll go for next, for two reasons, first, as much as I love Mirek and Johannes, I'd like to hang around with some others for a while, and secondly, with my acceptance into Royal Holloway, I'll probably have enough Holocaust stuff to fill the Olympia stadium, and will want something else.
So I've had this idea bouncing around, and I had a dream recently which provided me with three rather interesting characters. The idea is, weirdly, taken from the world I&E would eventually create. It's a world in which a cadre of mages (*snerk*) have recently overthrown the previous political situation of constantly warring kingdoms, done a Qin and unified the... I'm not sure what. Country? Nation? Continent? Whatever it is it's big. Sort of Europe sized (or for George Martin fans, Westeros). They won the war, and the result is actually somewhat better than the previous set-up. There are far less wars, the taxes are about the same, and as magic is a matter of talent rather than birth the social mobility has improved (not by much mind you, if you don't have a knack for magic you're stuck, but again, a bit better than before). There are still pockets of resistance, but for the most part the country is stable.
So far, so George RR Martin (with more magic). But wait! Who's that coming over the hill?
Frankly, this lot is odd even for me.
They don't have names yet, and are known as Elric-wannabe, Nanny-Ogg-with-axe and Polly Oliver-in-reverse. Nanny Ogg with Axe is self explanitory, I think. Elric wannabe is technically dead, would very much like to be dead, and does a lot of raging at the heavens until Ogg with Axe threatens to cut his ghostly balls off. Polly Oliver in reverse doeesn't have much of a character yet, but is a kid from a very matriarchal society in which be passed himself off as a girl into order to escape the really bad situation for men there. I'm not sure if this society is part of the magocracy yet, I'm thinking not. He somehow ran into Ogg with Axe, and still hasn't dared tell her he's a boy out of fear she'll cut his (not decided yet) off.
The plot (which I haven't decided on yet) is going to be similar in structure to Moorcock and Vance, rather than Martin or Tolkien. Shorter, more self contained stories, which explores the world without changing it (or changing it in very small ways). Ogg, Elric and Oliver aren't going to be overthrowing the magocracy, stealing the kingdom, or killing any dark lords. In fact I'm not exacly sure what they are going to be doing, as I've only got the idea for one story (ie, how they meet). But it would be fun to write, using elements of epic fantasy, comedic fantasy, and pulp fantasy. I always like pulp best.
So I've had this idea bouncing around, and I had a dream recently which provided me with three rather interesting characters. The idea is, weirdly, taken from the world I&E would eventually create. It's a world in which a cadre of mages (*snerk*) have recently overthrown the previous political situation of constantly warring kingdoms, done a Qin and unified the... I'm not sure what. Country? Nation? Continent? Whatever it is it's big. Sort of Europe sized (or for George Martin fans, Westeros). They won the war, and the result is actually somewhat better than the previous set-up. There are far less wars, the taxes are about the same, and as magic is a matter of talent rather than birth the social mobility has improved (not by much mind you, if you don't have a knack for magic you're stuck, but again, a bit better than before). There are still pockets of resistance, but for the most part the country is stable.
So far, so George RR Martin (with more magic). But wait! Who's that coming over the hill?
Frankly, this lot is odd even for me.
They don't have names yet, and are known as Elric-wannabe, Nanny-Ogg-with-axe and Polly Oliver-in-reverse. Nanny Ogg with Axe is self explanitory, I think. Elric wannabe is technically dead, would very much like to be dead, and does a lot of raging at the heavens until Ogg with Axe threatens to cut his ghostly balls off. Polly Oliver in reverse doeesn't have much of a character yet, but is a kid from a very matriarchal society in which be passed himself off as a girl into order to escape the really bad situation for men there. I'm not sure if this society is part of the magocracy yet, I'm thinking not. He somehow ran into Ogg with Axe, and still hasn't dared tell her he's a boy out of fear she'll cut his (not decided yet) off.
The plot (which I haven't decided on yet) is going to be similar in structure to Moorcock and Vance, rather than Martin or Tolkien. Shorter, more self contained stories, which explores the world without changing it (or changing it in very small ways). Ogg, Elric and Oliver aren't going to be overthrowing the magocracy, stealing the kingdom, or killing any dark lords. In fact I'm not exacly sure what they are going to be doing, as I've only got the idea for one story (ie, how they meet). But it would be fun to write, using elements of epic fantasy, comedic fantasy, and pulp fantasy. I always like pulp best.