Fear and All It Pertains

Fear is what makes us human. It separates us from machines, guides many of our decisions, and dictates when we're gonna go to bed at night. Because let's face it;  if you watch a good horror movie at midnight, chances are you're not gonna go to bed before dawn. Anyway I digress, the point of this post is exploring the fears that your characters have. And I don't mean the typical ones like 'loosing a loved one' because unless you're a demented sociopath everyone has this. No, I mean something like a fear of the dark or a fear of spiders. I also want to take a look at how characters should/could react to their fears.

I always find it amazing that a ton of characters just don't have basic fears. All their fears have to be this noble bullcrap that makes them seem like a good person, as if it will help us like the characters more. Well you know what, the entire emotion of fear is a completely selfish thing! When you're truly afraid of something you rarely compromise with the people who need you to get something done. You're gonna do everything and anything in your power to avoid making contact/looking at/interacting with whatever it is you fear. So even though the pretty red-headed gypsy girl may be drowning in a pond full of filth, if your hero is a total germaphobe, he's probably gonna keep going on his merry way or not give his 100%  if he helps her.

Now that sounds terrible doesn't it? That poor guy I just created sounds like a total bastard but Joe, that'll be his name for now, could have other traits that balance his mysophobia. He could be a very giving person that would give the shirt off his back to save a sickly orphan that'll die anyway, he could clean the local poorhouse twice a week, all things that would generally make him seem like a good person. Balancing out traits is super important, and is slowly becoming this thing I say in a crazy tone whenever I read books. If you don't balance out his mysophobia with something like...a strong work ethic, then he's going to topple over into a character that will be seen as completely miserable. However if this is your goal then good for you, in fact you should just ignore a good chunk of this post and go do something else. Go bake a pumpkin pie, clean your refrigerator, or read and comment on another one of my other blog posts...Please?

Anyway, my obnoxious suggestion aside, this entire time you're probably wondering why Joe just doesn't get over his fears. After all, there's gonna be something in his life that he needs to deal with that also involves his phobia. And that's true, because life really doesn't care about our comforts and wants. However, people are ridiculously stubborn and selfish. Going outside your comfort zone is a hard thing to do, and takes a toll on a person mentally and sometimes physically. So even if Joe wanted to save our red-headed gypsy, it'd make his stomach twist in knots, his mind go back and forth on his moral responsibilities, and make him sweat freaking him out even more. Thinking back on all this, I wouldn't want to deal with my fears either. Three cheers for cowards!

I'm gonna go bake an apple pie now...

An Idiot's Thoughts on a Fantasy Writer's Education

So as a writer you probably already know you've got to read. And I don't mean just one novel every few months, no you've got to read at least one a month. And that's just the minimum! The reason being, so that you can get plenty of information on your craft. After all, it's important to know what's been done and how others have done it. However, I think that's almost skimping on the entire fantasy idea bucket. Maybe just books were needed thirty years ago, but in the 21st century there's plenty of other mediums you can glean from to help your inspiration and fantasy learning experience.

1. Video Games- I know video games aren't for everyone, and some people still consider them childish, but in this day and age a good story is a big factor in selling a video game. There are literally hundreds of good video games out there that have interesting stories, characters, and magic systems that you probably haven't explored. I've spoken about one multiple times on this blog called Bayonetta, a story about a witch that has amnesia and has to piece her memories back together. All the while fighting angels and working with demons, and looking absolutely fabulous doing it. Another I'd recommend is Bloodborne, a gothic, steampunk, horror fantasy. If that wasn't enough to get your attention, then maybe I should tell you that the entire story revolves around a hunter fighting Eldritch Abominations. Oh, and did I mention the fact that you have no idea if it's all a dream or not?

2. Anime/Manga- The Japanese medium that CNN has called porn. As someone who actually watches/reads the stuff, I can tell you that it isn't porn. Well, there is porn but there's also cartoon porn in America too. Anyway, since this comes from Japan not only are you getting some new fantasy ideas, but you're also getting it from a completely different outlook. Since most adults aren't particularly happy to watch cartoons, I understand if you cast away these suggestions completely. But just watch Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood first. It has an extremely intense story about a pair of brothers who try to bring back their dead mother via alchemy...Just for one of the brothers to become a black monster and has to be put inside a suit of armor to stay together. And that's just the beginning, the rest of the journey is just as amazing. Take a look at it before you dismiss it for being a Japanese cartoon.

Now manga is a comic version of anime, but one I would certainly recommend is Ancient Magus' Bride.  The story revolves around fifteen year old Chise who's sold into slavery thanks to being able to see fae. Instead of being bought by a stereotypical cruel man who learns to love her, she's bought by the very inhuman Elias Ainsworth. A powerful mage with a goat skull instead of a human head. The magic system for this story is the star of the show, but the character development is nothing to laugh at either.

3. Comics- I actually know very little about American comics, so I can't personally give you recommendations, but I wouldn't count these out either. Just like all the other mediums discussed, comic books can help you find a plethora of interesting stories, characters, and magic systems for you to explore. Plus, just so you know, Neil Gaiman wrote one. That has to be worth mentioning.

4. Movies- This one is a bit trickier. Most fantasy movies are based on books, but if you're lucky enough to find a movie based on someone's imagination, then study it. A ton of movies love giving lazy exposition, you'll be able to find something interesting to get your juices flowing.

5. TV Shows- For some reason the TV channels have all decided that fantasy is the genre they'll be making shows for. One of those shows happens to be Once Upon a Time, a show taking all the Disneyfied classic fairytales and throwing them on their head. It uses the typical savior trope, but it does it tastefully, though I wouldn't recommend anything after season 2. There's also this show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I never got around to watching it, but heard it was pretty good.

So those are all the mediums you can glean from. I recommend spreading your time out involved in all of these, but since you're a novel writer make sure you spend more time writing. It just makes sense.

Now I'm gonna go watch Bleach...