So, Fantasycon is fast approaching and I've been asked to be on a panel entitled Trends in Fantasy – got a few thoughts of my own of course, but I'm acutely aware that I'm not the sort of writer who's focused on seeking to break new ground with every book, so if anyone's got some thoughts on the matter I'd love to hear them!
I may of course shamelessly steal them, but I don't think panels are the sort of place where credit for an idea is ascribed – I just want to be able to move the discussion on in interesting directions!
For a moment there I thought I’d not been invited to the Gollancz fantasycon party… but no, there’s a London party and and I am going! Will only be getting to Brighton late though, the trains go via London and take ages so I think i’ll be there about five mins after the mass signing has finished. Which may of course spare my blushes and turn out to be a good thing!
Fab! Will see you at both,then! I’ll be at the mass signing, so you can come and commiserate my own blushes in the bar after :-D
Authors and bars…..Researching new ideas??? You never know what type of character you can invent after witnessing some behaviors!!
For a moment there I thought I’d not been invited to the Gollancz fantasycon party… but no, there’s a London party and and I am going! Will only be getting to Brighton late though, the trains go via London and take ages so I think i’ll be there about five mins after the mass signing has finished. Which may of course spare my blushes and turn out to be a good thing!
Fab! Will see you at both,then! I’ll be at the mass signing, so you can come and commiserate my own blushes in the bar after :-D
Authors and bars…..Researching new ideas??? You never know what type of character you can invent after witnessing some behaviors!!
The Gritty thing was a few years ago, but still seems to be going strong and could still be talked about.
Well yes, certainly an ongoing trend. Question is, where might it be going? How gritty will urban fantasy get you reckon? Some people are no doubt already there but surely it’ll keep getting more noirish in the next few years, no?
It’ll keep going for sure. The big advantage is that a lot of fantasy readers equate “dark” with “cool”. And think they know what “dark” is too, of course.
Yeah, now I just need to work out how to direct my thoughts in the more ‘fashionable’ directions rather than just writing whatever occurs to me – might sell more! ;0)
It’s not a matter of changing what you write. Not at all. Just add in lots of extra “fuck” “cock” etc. You can thank me later ;p
Ahhhhh, good call! I’m thinking there should be some sort of a USP in there too though. Richard Morgan’s got his gay sex, as it were, Martin’s got his dead main characters. I’m thinking a really depraved foot fetish.
Now you’re talking!
The Gritty thing was a few years ago, but still seems to be going strong and could still be talked about.
Well yes, certainly an ongoing trend. Question is, where might it be going? How gritty will urban fantasy get you reckon? Some people are no doubt already there but surely it’ll keep getting more noirish in the next few years, no?
It’ll keep going for sure. The big advantage is that a lot of fantasy readers equate “dark” with “cool”. And think they know what “dark” is too, of course.
Yeah, now I just need to work out how to direct my thoughts in the more ‘fashionable’ directions rather than just writing whatever occurs to me – might sell more! ;0)
It’s not a matter of changing what you write. Not at all. Just add in lots of extra “fuck” “cock” etc. You can thank me later ;p
Ahhhhh, good call! I’m thinking there should be some sort of a USP in there too though. Richard Morgan’s got his gay sex, as it were, Martin’s got his dead main characters. I’m thinking a really depraved foot fetish.
Now you’re talking!
Oh … well not done much Fantasy reading so far this year but will give you a couple of 6
thoughts to mull on… (please consign them to the place marked bin if you feel the need to do so ;) )
I’m *just* a reader…
1) Why do endings have to leave the principal in such an ambiguous state all the time … ie some good has been done but evil has not been fully overcome or some such. Why can’t we have a conventional *happy ending* once in a while. Why does it have to be messy like real life?
Just my two cents…
2) Killing of major characters. Authors invest a lot of time building up characters and then killing them for little or no purpose in the plot (that I can see).
A reader’s comments are just as valid in my book! Except the ones who don’t like me, they can go to hell.
I’d say happy endings are difficult to sell to the reader regularly, certainly there might be a response to the whole gritty thing where you do get that happier, neater ending for some books.
On the killing of major characters, that’s tricky. People want a certain level of realism and i think a lot of books used to be a bit computer-gamey in the fact that the heroes could survive so much more damage. When there’s violence, anyone can get killed at any time and hiding from that cheapens the book, but again i don’t think you’ll have many more authors carelessly killing characters since it’s such a noted thing. Hopefully though, the plots will lead to it serving a purpose and adding some realism – certainly that’s my intention when I do it!
Tom, you kill whoever you want to!! It’s your book, and besides, killing a character, doesn’t make him dead. That’s why there are ghosts and the like.
I loved the way Thomas Covenant ended up, and he was killed. It all depends on what the writer has in mind.
Like you said they can go to hell…..
But doing it solely to make the book look gritty and modern won’t win you any friends, and rightly so!
It IS still the world you create…..Do what you will with it……and screw them all who don’t appreciate your work. That’s all I’m saying…….
Then do it with gusto and a higher purpose. I’m sure Lord Bahl can use some company…
Oh … well not done much Fantasy reading so far this year but will give you a couple of 6
thoughts to mull on… (please consign them to the place marked bin if you feel the need to do so ;) )
I’m *just* a reader…
1) Why do endings have to leave the principal in such an ambiguous state all the time … ie some good has been done but evil has not been fully overcome or some such. Why can’t we have a conventional *happy ending* once in a while. Why does it have to be messy like real life?
Just my two cents…
2) Killing of major characters. Authors invest a lot of time building up characters and then killing them for little or no purpose in the plot (that I can see).
A reader’s comments are just as valid in my book! Except the ones who don’t like me, they can go to hell.
I’d say happy endings are difficult to sell to the reader regularly, certainly there might be a response to the whole gritty thing where you do get that happier, neater ending for some books.
On the killing of major characters, that’s tricky. People want a certain level of realism and i think a lot of books used to be a bit computer-gamey in the fact that the heroes could survive so much more damage. When there’s violence, anyone can get killed at any time and hiding from that cheapens the book, but again i don’t think you’ll have many more authors carelessly killing characters since it’s such a noted thing. Hopefully though, the plots will lead to it serving a purpose and adding some realism – certainly that’s my intention when I do it!
Tom, you kill whoever you want to!! It’s your book, and besides, killing a character, doesn’t make him dead. That’s why there are ghosts and the like.
I loved the way Thomas Covenant ended up, and he was killed. It all depends on what the writer has in mind.
Like you said they can go to hell…..
But doing it solely to make the book look gritty and modern won’t win you any friends, and rightly so!
It IS still the world you create…..Do what you will with it……and screw them all who don’t appreciate your work. That’s all I’m saying…….
Then do it with gusto and a higher purpose. I’m sure Lord Bahl can use some company…