Help with Urban Fantasy - Writers Forum

KeskaMoonstar · 10-19-2007, 07:58 PM

I'm actually having trouble deciding what to write about for a while. But now I've narrowed it down to an Urban Fantasy novel. I know I'm not the best writer in the world --freely admitting that I need a lot of work-- but I do want this one to work out. I just need help with coming up with ideas. Some of the concepts I've come up with have already been done by numerous author's and television programs. One example being that magical individuals live among humans, so seeing a demon in accounting isn't surprising, though it's been done in the series Angel. The other being that normal people don't know about the magical creatures, though only a few know about them and are either trying to stop people from knowing about their existence or trying to help them. I want to do something new and right now my brain isn't working properly.

wmd · 10-19-2007, 08:35 PM

You want to be a writer? You have to come up with the ideas.

Do not worry about wether or not something has been done before... but worry about wether or not you can do it better.

It seems that you should come up with an idea first, rather than a genre... the story itself will determine the genre, and many stories do not even fit into a single genre.

ClancyBoy · 10-19-2007, 09:44 PM

Should be easy, just draw on something in your own life.

Amara-J · 10-20-2007, 07:32 AM

Setting's also important. Urban fantasy based in say, Los Angeles, would be different from urban fantasy in Beijing or Tokyo or Singapore. You can experiment with local myths, layers of society and even local perceptions on things like spiritual themes, ghosts, and demons. From there, ideas will spring out. Of course to have a realistic setting, you'll need to know it well (or imagine it if you don't want it to be too grounded in real-world events). It's not only about ghosts and angels and vampires. Good luck.

Talia_Brie · 10-22-2007, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amara-J

Setting's also important. Urban fantasy based in say, Los Angeles, would be different from urban fantasy in Beijing or Tokyo or Singapore. You can experiment with local myths, layers of society and even local perceptions on things like spiritual themes, ghosts, and demons. From there, ideas will spring out. Of course to have a realistic setting, you'll need to know it well (or imagine it if you don't want it to be too grounded in real-world events). It's not only about ghosts and angels and vampires. Good luck.

Heaps of really good advice in this thread already, but I really liked the comments here.

Story definitely comes first. Once you've come up with a couple of story ideas, you'll have a feeling for the genre you're probably going to fall into (although for me the characters actually come first - they bring their own stories).

If it's Urban Fantasy that you like, read Clive Barker. As far as I can tell he's at the top of that particular game, although Storm Constantine is also good, if inconsistant.

abbsinthe · 10-22-2007, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmd

You want to be a writer? You have to come up with the ideas.

I actually agree here. A friend of mine keeps asking me all sorts of questions about a story she is writing and I bounced a couple of ideas off her but now she wont stop... does she want me to write it for her?

Who cares if the idea has already been explored? You can always add a new twist to it. If your inspiration comes from watching tv or reading books or even listening to music go with it. Just keep writing until you cant write any more.
Who cares if it makes sense now... it will fall into place later.