Finding
the Real in the Fantasy
Guest Post by Chele Cooke
As a sci-fi and fantasy writer, one of my
favourite compliments to be given by readers is ‘you made me feel like I was
right there.’ When we’re creating whole new worlds, this is a big achievement.
They say that a picture is worth a thousand
words, yet we are constantly told as writers that we need to get to the action
faster, hook the reader in quicker. So, when you don’t always have a thousand
words, how do you paint a realistic picture of your world and the characters within
it?
If you look at popular Sci-Fi and fantasy
franchises, you will often find that the protagonist is new to the world, or at
least aspects of it, that we, as the reader, are being pulled into. If you look
at Harry Potter as an example, Harry is new to the wizarding world, and as the
reader, we explore with him, gaining understanding as he does. This use of an
outsider stepping into the world for the first time binds the reader to the
main character, not only making things easier for us to understand, but also
creating an empathetic bond between reader and character, because, new to the
world ourselves, we understand the excitement of it.
Imagination is a wonderful thing that
allows a reader great scope, but as people, we also like the familiar. We use
metaphors and similes, grounding images in the familiar in order to help tie a
tangible rope to a new image or idea. It is much easier for a reader to imagine
an image similar to one they know from their life, than a completely new image
they have never encountered.
New languages can also be implemented in
Sci-Fi and Fantasy, especially if you are exploring multiple new settings.
However, try to intersperse the words of this foreign tongue with the language
you’re writing in. Having sentences of a new language will only confuse and
frustrate the reader. If you have conversation to occur in this new tongue, a
language your protagonist does not understand, simply comment that they spoke
in their foreign tongue and instead focus on the facial expressions and body
language of the characters speaking. We gain 70% of our understanding from body
language, and 15% from tone of voice. So, even if your character does not
understand the words, you can very easily ensure that the reader understands
the conversation.
Individual words can also become
problematic if the reader cannot pronounce them with ease. I have a number of
new words and names in my first sci-fi series, and to ensure that these new
words were not tripping readers up, I tried to ensure that even if the
pronunciation the reader attributed was slightly wrong, they were at least able
to make the pronunciation as easily as possible. If you line up a Q, a J, and
an F next to each other in a word, for example, you will have readers
struggling because it’s not a combination we have ever experienced.
I used a number of Eastern European
languages as the basis of my language Adtvenis, with words and names like
Edtroka, Drysta, and Tyllenich. While none of these words are direct
translations, or even the same words as used in any Eastern European language,
by keeping the words within a general feel of an existing language, it becomes
more believable to the reader, and easier for them to get to grips with, as
they know not only the individual words, but through them, begin to get a feel
for accent and rhythm.
The creation of new ideas, places, and even
languages, is one of my favourite reasons to write Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I can go
wherever my imagination takes me. By employing some of these points to your
writing, grounding the fantastical into everyday reality, you can ensure that
your readers will follow your imagination wherever it chooses to go.
For further information stuff,
my website: http://chelecooke.com/
my website: http://chelecooke.com/
My twitter: https://twitter.com/CheleCooke
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