bwhite55

so, i've decided that what i'm gonna do is create a series based on a fantasy world. this series is basically gonna have ALOT of stories about the histories of the different regions of the world and its gonna eventually lead up to a main conflict as well as have many stories of the characters and their background. i was wondering if anybody has any advice as how to start it or where to begin, as in would it be better to start w/ the main conflict or what? i've always had a huge imagination but have recently been inspired to actually write down the ideas that i have and do something with it.

DaveSKerfoot

Your post is quite broad, so it's difficult to give you an answer really. I would guess your starting point would be to jot down your notes of your world, whats it like, whats the weather like etc. Then the races that populate that world. Characterisation is critical to a good story, have you given any thought to what characters are going to be the main feature in your story ?
You already have your ending, which is some kind of mass battle - have you thought about the incidents leading up to that battle, why is this big battle happening, is there going to be a twist to the story ?
There are lots of decent websites dedicated to creating a story. Apparently I don't have enough posts to post a link yet, so have a search on this forum and you'll come across a website called FARP which is a good place to start.

Having done all that, start to write

bwhite55

okay, so, as far as the world. i've pretty much got the world created, and i've got most of the races created as well. and i've got the characters in the main story done and i'm throwin around ideas for the different worlds and the main story, i guess my question is, would it be better to start w/ the main conflict and go from there? or do the other stuff so i'd be able to have more background on the main battle first?

DaveSKerfoot

I would guess that the answer to that lies in why is the battle happening. I personally think I would find it difficult to get into a book where the opening gambit is a mass battle, unless it was very cleverly written.

bwhite55

there isn't gonna be a main, mass battle, its a series of smaller battles and stuff, but when i say main conflict i don't mean that part, i guess i mean like a 3 part story explaining what leads up to it, during the conflict, and post conflict. i dunno how else to explain it, as all my stuff is on my other computer and its temporarily outa commission, not to mention this is my first story so i don't know how to explain it.

DavidGil

The only thing I can really advise against is to try and keep away from the cliches of the genre. In other words, try to make things unique. But I guess you already knew that.

One thing though, you're making stories based on the different regions solely for including them? If I were you, I'd focus on only the ones that interconnect with the main plot. It doesn't mean you shouldn't do lots of backstory however but instead, you could work it in at the appropiate time throughout the book and use the backgrounds to enrich the story, maybe without even including several history parts in what people read.

Hopefully that made sense and I wish you the best of luck with the project.

PS: I think I remember you trying to get help with another project. Hope that went well for you.

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bwhite55

this is the same project actually. i ist had about a 5 or 6 month time where i didn't work on it cuz of lack of time. now i'm just revising it cuz i have more ideas. and i'm not doing the different stories just to include them, i'm doing it cuz ideas are popping in my head now and so i figure i'll put them in kinda as like a prelude or after the main story.

Gabriel Gray

simliar to my predicament i think, i also have created my own fantasy world (fair enough i've borrowed most of tolkein's races) along with my first story being the most important one. Yet i've had times i've wrote down notes, thought things through, hell even dreamt of sequels and prequels.

So i don't neccersarily agree you should start with something less epic, then move onto the clichéd grander scale. For example star wars pretty much started at the end, then the first 3 came afterwards. With my story i pretty much have the same set out 'The ten men of wraith' a story i am currently doing atm (siggy) then 'The vengance of the gods' - a sequel pretty much showing the 'world' several years later, things which weren't as important then now being especially important, then finishing with 'The last age of men'

The later two having been briefly thought off and not set in stone, whereas my prequels are all thought up too, some perhaps the hobbit's relation to lotrt, a story about my main characters parents perhaps, or even an idea i had to do 'The rule of the Golden Archers' which coiencides with my main story again, but the history skimmed over.

Gone off topic, but point is: do exactly as the 2nd poster told you, then think it through how you want it, because once you finish your first book, you might want to do something completely different (as might i) or you might want to make it into something even more epic.

Goodluck, feel free to give my story a read and leave your views.

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http://www.writingforums.com/fiction...ml#post1211308