• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

The purple Bengal Tigers eat yellow marshmlllows and should they be Rasberry flavour

gavintonks

Maester
I am not sure if people understand what a story is sometimes

The basic story like Romeo and Juliet - is a love story as well as Desdemona and Midsummer nights dream.
They have characters that dye tragically, but you follow their story and emotions, their thoughts and feeling to a conclusion.

If the head Bengal Tiger put raspberry juice in the yellow marshmallows to hide the almond flavored poison, we have a story because we want to know why?well I hope so.

She put the almond based poison in the raspberry and made the marshmallows and gave them to him to eat
is she did this and did that

"Oh,Dearest" the queen Bengal tiger sidled up to her husband with something hidden behind her back.She looked coyly into his eyes, and placed the platter on the table next to his chair,"close your eyes." she teased.

One has to really ask yourself how much importance the decor has on the story, as I am sure most people will already be fantasizing about the set, and conjuring up images in their own minds as they resonate with the story.

I see people are trying to create worlds and places, but that is a travelogue to your imagination and not a story.

One needs to be aware that the novel is not a novel [sorry could not resist]
True or False?
 

gavintonks

Maester
lets see how many people see the difference in the colouring of characters as apposed to their deaths
 

Hans

Sage
Seriously, I do not know what you want to say. Maybe my English is more lacking than I thought, but I can not make much out of your text.
Do you want us to stop detailing the background of our stories? Risk them to become inconsistent?
I like worldbuilding, so I will do that, story or not, but that is not the question here. My world has lots of details I will never use in my stories. But if they are needed they are there. Creating details is much different from showing them off. And I know people that sometimes want to read a travelogue. Surely you will not forbid me to write for them. Knowing that these texts will never hit mainstream.

As for unnecessary details in stories. Might I give "Les Miserables" as an example? This book starts with sixty pages about a person whose only story purpose it is to shake the hands of the main character. Once. The book has a roundup of the battle of Waterloo because an antagonist accidently saves the live of the father of one of the heroes. The battle is not necessary for the story, but it is there. It has whole chapters about streets in Paris with no story purpose whatsoever. So does that make this a bad book?
 

Krieger

Acolyte
Detail has it's place, but not at the risk of interrupting the rhythm of the story. The way I see it, if the narrative is flowing at a good pace, details will slip by the POV character unnoticed; they're too tied up with their struggle to notice anything that isn't actually important to what's going on. I know if someone was swinging a sword at my face, I wouldn't take the time to stop and admire the craftsmanship.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
I think Gavin is just trying to say "Story first". I agree with that.

All other details make it different from the stories before (and the writers voice). But it's easy to get bogged down in the details when they should be an enhancement to the story and not the story itself.
 

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
I think it's a question of experience that's been brought up here. When young people write, we begin with concepts, and make out a world that is very detailed. And then it's almost a compulsion to find places to enter all the clever details it took so long to invent. I am guilty of it too, and when I look back on my first few novels, they aren't nearly as clever as I had imagined, but long and boring. I mean, who cares whether my dwarves have a very clever state-of-the art plumbing system with flush toilets underground? It's boring to write a scene in which they are used...

While I agree that a certain amount of world-building is necessary, an author needs to keep in mind whether every detail needs to make it to second draft.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I am not sure if people understand what a story is sometimes

. . . .

One has to really ask yourself how much importance the decor has on the story, as I am sure most people will already be fantasizing about the set, and conjuring up images in their own minds as they resonate with the story.

I see people are trying to create worlds and places, but that is a travelogue to your imagination and not a story.

One needs to be aware that the novel is not a novel [sorry could not resist]
True or False?

I just want to say something.

If somebody posts, asking if the marshmallows fed to the purple Bengal tigers should be a raspberry flavor, it does not mean they do not have a story. It only means they have a question.

It is tiresome to see threads like this, not because you're wrong gavintonks - you're not, and you're not the first - but because they seem to imply that there's something wrong with the posts people are making and the questions people ask. There's not.

If you want people to talk more about story, how about you make a post asking and sharing about your own story and start a trend.

I know that when I ask about my story, I get a lot of crickets. I also get annoying comments like these telling me I'm asking the wrong question. And I get a few timid answers, and then a neverending slew of irrelevant questions because people don't know how to answer story-based questions easily.

Figure out how to address that problem, and find me a technique that's conducive to storyboarding in these forums, and then I might agree that people are asking the wrong questions.

In the meantime, it's just being passive-aggressive.
 
Last edited:

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
Okay I think I get it now. So when I post a story section to ask a question, I try to keep is as succinct as I can mostly out of respect for people who would offer me help. I am happy to answer any further questions which people might put forth, because whatever they want to know, I am happy to be getting help.
 

Mindfire

Istar
Okay I think I get it now. So when I post a story section to ask a question, I try to keep is as succinct as I can mostly out of respect for people who would offer me help. I am happy to answer any further questions which people might put forth, because whatever they want to know, I am happy to be getting help.

What? What does any of this have to do with purple tigers and yellow raspberry marshmellows? Why can I never understand anything this gavin fellow posts? Am I the only one who finds his posts incomprehensible? Where does he come up with these insane convoluted metaphors? I mean no offense, but f I read one more post in this thread, I might just lose my grip on sanity. I'm going to step out for a while.
 

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
It's okay Mindfire. I used Devor's translation after my first post didn't seem in line with his response. Anyways, I'm out too. I think all that makes sense has already been said. To add more now might just be off topic and then this thread will descend into weirdness.
 

gavintonks

Maester
well one it has reached its objective people have responded
2 - where is the story?
3 - It has nothing to do with anything other than a concept so if you find it weird imagine how the reader feels
4 - their is an expectation which is not met, as the substance does not justify the words hence indignation
Plus some people jump to conclusions without trying to find out what the story means first by simply asking questions. so running away is just a cop out and some self righteous rhetoric
 

gavintonks

Maester
so in the end it proves most people are on an ego trip to create some self righteous beacon of their own ego as apposed to writing a good and entertaining story - go figure hahahhahahaha
 

Hans

Sage
so in the end it proves most people are on an ego trip to create some self righteous beacon of their own ego as apposed to writing a good and entertaining story
What is your point?
Of course the people here are using their own imagination to write stories. How do you get from there that these are not good and entertaining stories?
 

gavintonks

Maester
This topic is about debate and discussion about issues and topics, so why not learn to debate and play with a concept until it is talked out. The aggression is so unnecessary, and I have every right to an opinion, and I have every right to voice it.
I am discussing a point and every single person that has a bruise and tries to justify why they are doing things just shows they feel guilty about their acts. A person who is solid in the knowledge of creating an epic or something great does not need to justify their existence.

I thought the reason people would come together is to go from good to great, a place to resonate with your story, instead I find most people have a hope this will be a "found" place because I have raspberry flavored yellow marshmallows someone is going to think this is the coolest ting every and sign me to a deal make harry potter blush.

The aggression and silly egos like I am out of here because I cannot understand him has no place here why? because I have to learn to communicate to the people who do not have a clue and are prepared to write it so everyone can see.But more importantly if we cannot cultivate a feeling of compassion help and understanding, then this just becomes an ego trip with egos the size of planets with purple ninja leaves.

To obfuscate the reason for a post is easy, to lead the foolish is even easier but a wise man will challenge and discuss and unpack the reason why, and if they cannot do not or will not, they can at least ask why?
Then is non so stupid as those who will not think.

What one of you wishes to be challenged to be good to great or excellent to world renowned, Do you think by not being challenged or not debating that you will learn something. Do you fora moment believe what you post is the best you can do? I have a client who challenged me at every turn, sent my work to 200 of his associates to pick apart and comment on before it was sent to the client. We have choices learn what it is about or throw in the towel, or become self righteous and indignant. It is after all your choice.

I have a good story but I want it to be the greatest story ever told, do you think I am going to achieve that by complacency, ego and self righteous bullshit?
 

gavintonks

Maester
The fundamental core of what a reader is embracing is the story, and the story resonates with the world harry Potter is a teenage wizard, Tolkein is a childlike race both brave the unknown and perils far greater than human or near human should,it is a simple story age old, and has made the authors untold millions and billionaires. If we strive for success and in whatever category we wish it to be, without unpacking and exploring avenues and concepts we pay untold millions in unnecessary school fees.

The internet has empowered the voice, a person can reach an audience and each person wishes to be the king of their domain, but unless it is tempered with respect, understanding and a shared conscious will to be the best that we can be, I feel the continued knee jerk reactions and egocentric bad mouthing of people will continue.

The objective is a platform of learning sharing and debate but of what?
I thought it should be the realm of fantasy and story - not ego and self righteous indignation
 

gavintonks

Maester
There are important questions to writing and understanding the want and desire to be a successful writer, I thank the posters who made a positive contribution here.
If we cannot think and plan it makes the 50/50 chance of success and failure, guaranteed failure. We are in a highly competitive industry with 1 million people trying to get published this year alone.
What makes us better writers or more successful, or even published?
 
Top